Slow cooker Archives | Fake Food Free

Autumn Spiced Slow Cooker Chicken with Apples and Onions

September 15, 2016

This simple slow cooker chicken is coated in savory spices and served with sweet apples and onions for the perfect fall meal.
This post is sponsored by Petaluma Poultry – Home of ROCKY® and ROSIE® Chicken.

Like many people, my introduction to poultry was in the form of the boneless, skinless chicken breast. Now, I have nothing against these chicken breasts. They still serve a purpose in my kitchen. Since I started this blog over eight years ago and got much more adventurous in my cooking, things have changed.

I’ve become more open to the versatility and the full flavor of other parts of the chicken.

I also didn’t mess around with graduating up to bone-in, skin-on parts. Nope. I jumped right into using the whole bird.

Simple Slow Cooker Mung Bean Soup

November 11, 2015

Soon, we’ll be frantically running out to the supermarket to get overlooked ingredients. Soon, we’ll forget what it’s like to shop during the holidays and find ourselves elbowing our way to a check-out line. Soon, we’ll be waiting in line at the post office (something we swore we’d never do again) to get gifts mailed before the last possible hour.

Soon, no matter how hard we try to stay in control, things are going to get crazy.

I love the holiday season, crazy or not. So I say bring it on! As long as I have some lights sparkling in the living room and cookies in the oven at some point throughout the season, I’ll take it.

Buffalo Chicken and Rice Slow Cooker Casserole

October 22, 2015

I rarely identify with the term comfort food. I think it’s because, unless you are force feeding me steamed broccoli or those crunchy fancy green beans, I consider all foods comforting. I may be partial to carbs, but a salad or spring roll can bring about as much comfort and nostalgia for me as mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.

But I get it, and if you wanted me to come up with some comfort foods, using the true sense of the word, one thing that comes to mind is the classic casserole.

Lentils with Curry Turkey Meatballs and Lemon Spinach

July 8, 2015

In this recipe, slow cooker lentils are topped with turkey meatballs and then brightened with a sprinkle of fresh spinach for an easy one-bowl meal!

I tend to eat in earth tones. It’s something I didn’t realize until I began photographing my food.

Think about it. The occasional leafy green aside, many healthy foods are pretty much a big bunch of off white, beige and brown.

Lentils, beans, chickpeas, cauliflower, oats, onions, garlic, meats, mushrooms — all pretty much the same boring color. It’s unfair, too, because they can be pretty darn delicious.

Slow Cooker Maple Jalapeno Chicken Sliders

February 26, 2015

These Slow Cooker Maple Jalapeno Chicken Sliders have a flavorful balance of sweet, salty and spicy. Crown Maple gave me a sample of their delicious organic maple syrup at the Winter Fancy Food Show last month and it made the perfect addition to this easy meal!

I learned long ago that there is no denying my sweet tooth. Yes, you can calm it down by cutting out all forms of added sugar. I did that a couple years ago. Cravings subsided, and even now I don’t like things nearly as sweet as I used to, but the sweet tooth never really went away.

If you have a sweet tooth, you know what I’m talking about.

People tend to fall into a sweet or salty category. Some have no desire for any type of sugar. But threaten to take away their potato chips, and look out! Meanwhile, if you told me I could never have a potato chip or pretzel again I would not shed a single tear. But let’s not talk about the horror of never having caramel, chocolate, or my favorite sweetener, maple syrup.

Ground Turkey and Ale Cabbage Rolls and My 3 Words

January 7, 2015

I’m sharing My 3 Words for the New Year along with a spiced up and spiked version of cabbage rolls!

It’s a new year. I keep repeating that to myself, but it doesn’t want to stick.

Most years, I feel this big sense of transition as we close one out and enter another. I’m big on the goals and resolutions, so I have those all lined up and I’m ready to jump right in the minute the ball drops.

This year feels different.

We spent the last two weeks of 2014 traveling. We visited Copenhagen, went to Berlin and explored the markets over the Christmas holiday, enjoyed a day in Malmo and returned to Copenhagen for New Years Eve. It was a blissful break filled with new experiences, people and foods.

Slow Cooker Black Calypso Beans with Beer and Bacon Recipe

October 25, 2013

Pull out the slow cooker and make a pot of these beans with beer and bacon. This recipe uses a wheat beer that pairs well with the cilantro and squeeze of lime for a bowl of comfort food with bright flavors.

Slow Cooker Black Calypso Beans with Beer and Bacon | Fake Food Free

With their black and white patterns, Black Calypso beans look like a bag of little dairy cows. They are my very favorite bean, and while appearance does play a significant role in that, so does the way they cook. With a smooth and creamy texture they stand out among other beans for me.

I picked up a bag from Rancho Gordo a while back when visiting the CUESA farmers market at the Ferry Building. Then, on a recent visit I came across a recipe card that combined beer with beans. That recipe added the beer after the beans were cooked, but it sparked an idea for a slow cooker recipe for the Black Calypso beans sitting in my pantry.

I used a wheat beer in my beans because I wanted a lighter, citrus flavor to go with the cilantro and lime I would add later. I think a heavy, dark beer would work great, though, too.

The beans cooked up rich and creamy as expected with that familiar bite that comes from cooking with beer. We’ve been eating them all week with a side of fall vegetables and topped with a fried egg.

Slow Cooker Black Calypso Beans with Beer and Bacon Recipe

Inspired by Drunken Beans by Elianna Friedman, CUESA Market Chef

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 lb. Black Calypso beans, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 slices thick-cut, pastured bacon, chopped fine
12 oz. wheat beer
5 cups vegetable stock or water (or a combination of the two)
1 to 2 tsp sea salt
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Lime wedges for serving

Prep

Place the beans, onion, garlic and bacon in the bowl of the slow cooker.

Pour in the beer. Add the stock or water (I used a combination of 2 cups of stock and 3 cups of water).

Stir all the ingredients and cook on high for 7 to 8 hours, or until the beans reach your desired tenderness.

Before serving, stir in the salt to taste. How much you need will depend on what type of stock and how much water you used. Stir in the cilantro.

Serve with lime wedges on the side.

Slow Cooker Beans with Beer and Bacon via @Lori_Rice

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Homemade Garden Chili Slow Cooker Recipe

September 19, 2012

Chili is one of those foods that I get burned out on by December, but every time the next September rolls around, I’m ready for it all over again. My cravings for it this year started this past week, and they are just about spot on, considering we are moving towards the end of the month.

As you can probably tell from my posts, it has been a great garden year. We are still bringing in more tomatoes than I know what to do with, and I have plenty of frozen veggies from harvests earlier in the summer. With the weather turning cooler here, chili seemed like the ideal way to use them up.

My goal was to use a lot of fresh tomatoes, so this recipe does take some prep work. For me, this is just the kind of thing I enjoy doing on a quiet Sunday. Once it’s all in the slow cooker, it’s low maintenance from there on out.

Feel free to substitute different kinds of vegetables. I’ve been shredding and freezing zucchini all summer, and we also had some sweet corn tucked away in the freezer. Both ended up being a great addition to this chili.

Homemade Garden Chili Slow Cooker Recipe

6 – 8 lbs of tomatoes (you’ll need about 6 cups of sauce)

5 cloves garlic

1 small onion, chopped

2 cups black beans, soaked overnight

2 cups shredded zucchini, thawed if frozen

1 cup sweet corn, thawed if frozen

1 cup water

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 scotch bonnet peppers (or your favorite hot pepper)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut de-stem and core tomatoes if necessary, and cut in half. (I used a mix of San Marzano, Beefsteak and heirlooms.) Arrange cut side down on a baking sheet with the garlic and drizzle with a little olive oil. In batches, roast for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Add the onion and black beans to your slow cooker. Remove the skins from the tomatoes and place the pulp and the garlic cloves in a blender. Blend in batches until a smooth sauce results. Pour the sauce into the slow cooker. Set to high.

Add the zucchini and corn. Add the water. Stir in the chili powders, cumin, salt and black pepper. Take the scotch bonnet peppers and de-stem them. Cut a small slit in the side of each. Place the whole pepper in the soup. Put on the lid and cook on high for about 4 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender.

Before serving, remove the two peppers and discard. Serve with your favorite toppings. Makes about 6 servings.

Tequila-Lime Shredded Beef

January 3, 2012

As we enter this New Year I’ve decided I am not taking one single glance back at my 2011 goals. While 2010 was a great year for accomplishing my goals and resolutions, I barely got things off the ground last year. I did learn the basics of knitting, but it stopped there.

Yes, I said New Years goals. Yes, I uttered the word resolution. I know it’s cool to be anti-resolution, but truth be told, I love this time of year. I love new beginnings.

It’s good to set goals for yourself whenever you choose: at the beginning of every day, week, month or year. I just happen to enjoy the fresh start of a new calendar.

So out with the 2011 (no looking back), and in with 2012.

This year, I decided to take the advice of Chris Brogan andchoose My 3 Words. Words that will guide me through this year; words I will revisit often to keep me on track.

My 3 Words for 2012 are:

Progress. Learn. Honor.

I will work to Progress my blog to the next level, a level that really only matters to me. I hope this will be reflected in the quality of my posts and my photographs.

I will be open to all Learning experiences whether it is a cooking method, camera technique, culture or language.

I will Honor my health and my body be revisiting my commitment to real food, and by making the most of the incredible food resources available to me.

Do you have 3 Words for 2012?

Now before I jump too far into the New Year, I need to back track into 2011 for just one day; to New Year’s Eve. We spent this NYE at home which I could not have been happier about. I only wanted to relax, and honestly didn’t even feel much like cooking.

Surprisingly this recipe is perfect for just this type of occasion. This version comes from a recipe adapted by one of my favorite international food bloggers, Tangled Noodle.

I modified the ingredients to meet our preferences, including using beef as opposed to pork. Not exactly because I prefer beef, but we’ve had a roast in the freezer we’ve wanted to use for weeks.

Mix, rub, pour, wait.

Seriously, that is all you need to do. As a result you are left with some incredibly tender meat with a hint of citrus and a bit of a spicy kick.

From there, turn it into a taco, roll it up in an enchilada, toss it on top of a salad or add it to a soup. The flavor is outstanding and the options endless.

Tequila-Lime Shredded Beef

Adapted from Slow Cooker Tequila-Lime Pork Loin Roast from Tangled Noodle

3 lb tri tip beef roast

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp chili powder

4 cloves garlic, minced

Juice and zest of one lime

1/3 cup unsalted beef stock

1/3 cup gold tequila

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

1 bay leaf

In a small bowl combine the cumin, oregano, salt and chili powder. Rub mixture over the beef roast. Place the roast in your slow cooker.

Add the garlic, lime juice and zest, beef stock, tequila, chipotle powder and bay leaf. Turn the meat over a few times in the mixture to coat. Set the slow cooker to high, put on the lid and cook 3-4 hours.

Once beef has reached your desired doneness, remove from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board to rest. Discard the bay leaf. Shred the beef with a fork and knife. Return the meat to the slow cooker and coat with the remaining sauce. Keep on warm until ready to serve. Serves 10-12.

Slow cooker

Autumn Spiced Slow Cooker Chicken with Apples and Onions

Simple Slow Cooker Mung Bean Soup

Buffalo Chicken and Rice Slow Cooker Casserole

Lentils with Curry Turkey Meatballs and Lemon Spinach

Slow Cooker Maple Jalapeno Chicken Sliders

Ground Turkey and Ale Cabbage Rolls and My 3 Words

Slow Cooker Black Calypso Beans with Beer and Bacon Recipe

Slow Cooker Black Calypso Beans with Beer and Bacon Recipe

Homemade Garden Chili Slow Cooker Recipe

Homemade Garden Chili Slow Cooker Recipe

Tequila-Lime Shredded Beef

Thanks so much for reading!

My New Cookbook published in 2020!

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