Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

Directions

1. Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
2. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Chicken-and-Dumplings/Detail.aspx

[from Nicole]

I used 1 cup chicken broth rather than water, and a 16 oz package of biscuits rather than 2x10 oz. I also added some extra spices (cream of chicken w/herbs soup instead, parsley and curry). The kids ate it up! I tried adding some frozen peas too, but they didn't turn out great.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

This is one of my favorites.  It might seem a little complicated, but if you do some prep work ahead of time, it's not bad.  I usually just buy a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking my own.  I also usually add extra spinach, and sometimes I skip the red bell pepper.  You can assemble it and freeze it too.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine (from Cooking Light magazine)

• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 3  cups  thinly sliced mushrooms
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 3  cups  chopped fresh spinach
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  (16-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
• 4  cups  hot cooked penne (about 8 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
• 2  cups  shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2  cup  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1  (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Preheat oven to 425°.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper; sauté 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts.

Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

[from Jaime]

Super Deeelicious Spaghetti Casserole

I'm from the south too, but didn't discover spaghetti casserole until after I got married.  My MIL makes it and the first time I tried it i was like, "Seriously, who knew you could put spaghetti in a CASSEROLE?!  Deep fry it and sell it at the fair!"  Anyway, it's completely addictive and here's the recipe:

Super Deeelicious Spaghetti Casserole

1/2 box of cooked noodles

1 stick butter

1 chopped onion

1 8oz pkg cream cheese

1 c. Mozzarella

1 c. Cheddar

1 to 1.5 lbs hamburger

2 tbs sugar

1 large jar spaghetti sauce

cook noodles and put them in the bottom of a 9x13 dish.  Melt the butter then sautee onion and melt the cream cheese together.  Spread over the noodles.  Brown the hamburger meat.  Add the sauce and the sugar, mix and spread over the cream cheese layer.  Cover with cheeses and cook at 350 for about 30-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

This is not low fat, but when you want a splurge, this is it!

[from ChasCHAS]

Broccoli Casserole

Broccoli Casserole

You'll need 2 pkgs frozen chopped broccoli, 1/2 cup grated sharp cheese, 1/2 cup mayo, salt & pepper, 1 can mushroom soup, 1 egg well beaten, 1 tablespoon chopped onion (I use more), 1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers, bacon bits

Directions:

Cook broccoli until done then drain.  Combine all ingredients (except crackers & bacon bits) then combine w/ broccoli.  Put in greased dish and bake 20 mins at 400 degrees.  Add crumbs and bacon bits on top and brown.

[from CB]

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

This was favorite meal as a kid, and it's always been a big hit when I serve it too.   It sounds like a Mexican casserole, but once it's finished, it really just tastes like cheesy chicken yumminess.  It doesn't have Mexican spices, so it might be good for picky little eaters. I haven't tried it with E yet.  

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

  

2-3 lbs cooked, chopped chiken

1 cup chicken broth

8 oz. sour cream

10 flour tortillas (small size)          

2 cans cream of chicken soup

¼ cup chopped onion

4 cups cheddar cheese

-Combine chicken, onion, soup, and broth in a pot.

-Add salt and pepper.

-Cook until boiling.

-Remove from heat, and add sour cream.

-Fill tortillas with mixture from pot, sprinkle with cheese.  Roll up and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish (cover bottom with filled and rolled tortillas).

-Pour remaining mixture over rolled tortillas.

-Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

-Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

-Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

[from Amanda]

Zesty Fresh Salsa

Zesty Fresh Salsa

 Cucumber

Onion

Tomatoes

Green pepper

garlic

cilantro

fat free Zesty Italian salad dressing (Zesty makes all the difference)

salt & pepper

[from Jenny]

Amy's Black Bean Salsa

Amy's Black Bean Salsa

16 oz can black beans

16 oz frozen corn

2 avocados, diced (add right before serving)

1 sweet Vidalia onion, diced (1/2?)

3 large tomatoes, diced

2 limes, juiced, or lime juice

2 T red wine vinegar

1 T olive oil

¼ c cilantro

1 t salt

Pepper to taste

[from Jenny]

Texas-Style Salsa

Texas-Style Salsa

2 large tomatoes, quartered
1 large purple onion, halved
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
2 cans chopped green chiles

Add first 5 ingredients to food processor and process until chopped. Add chiles; pulse once or until mixture is combined.

[from Tracy]

Sweet Potato-Cauliflower Soup

Sweet Potato-Cauliflower Soup

olive oil

1/2 large Vidalia onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 sweet potato, cut into small cubes (I don’t peel mine, but feel free to do so if you wish)

2 cups cauliflower florets, cut into small pieces

6 cups vegetable stock/broth

1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

4 stems of kale, deveined and torn into small pieces

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 sea salt

dash cinnamon (optional–I love cinnamon and the subtle sweetness it adds to savory dishes)

In a large soup pot, heat a few swirls of olive oil over medium heat (about 2 tablespoons?  I didn’t measure).  Add your onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add the sweet potato and stir so it is coated with some of the oil.  Allow to cook about 5 minutes.  Add the cauliflower, stock, parsley, thyme, and salt and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer about 25-30 minutes.  Add the black beans and kale and cook another 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the dash of cinnamon and serve.

[from Maryea]

Chicken and Dumplings

Racheal Ray chicken and dumplings.  I follow the recipe, except instead of using the biscuit mix, I buy the premade biscuits that are in the pop open tubes.  Even easier, and it is so yummy.  :)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 russet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced or thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
• 2 tablespoons flour, a handful
• 1 quart chicken broth or stock, canned or paper container, preferred brand Kitchen Basics
• 1 small box biscuit mix(preferred brand Jiffy Mix)
• 1/2 cup warm water
• Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 cup frozen green peas

Directions

Dice tenders into bite size pieces and set aside. Wash hands.

Place a large pot on stove over medium high heat. Add oil, butter, vegetables and bay leaf and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season mixture with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir broth or stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.

Place biscuit mix in a bowl. Combine with 1/2 cup warm water and parsley. Drop tablespoonfuls of prepared mix into the pot, spacing dumplings evenly. Cover pot tightly and reduce heat to medium low. Steam dumplings 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cover and stir chicken and dumplings to thicken sauce a bit. Stir peas into the pan, remove chicken and dumplings from heat and serve in shallow bowls.

[from Kristi--http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-and-dumplings-recipe/index.html]

BAKED ZUCCHINI AND GROUND TURKEY

DH wasn't wild about this when I cooked it, but I liked it.  He's not a veggie eater and just wanted normal spaghetti :)

BAKED ZUCCHINI AND GROUND TURKEY *

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp. oil
3 lbs. sliced zucchini
1/3 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 pkgs. Italian spaghetti sauce (dry)
1 3/4 c. water
1 tbsp. oil
1 (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1/3 c. bread crumbs
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Mozzarella cheese
1 lb. ground beef (I used ground turkey)

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine first oil, zucchini, and onion and saute until tender. Put in 2 quart casserole dish.

2. Brown the beef. Add one package of sauce, water, tomato paste and 2 tablespoons oil. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour over zucchini.

3. Mix Parmesan and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over top and mix gently.

4. Top with Mozzarella. Bake to a golden brown at 350 degrees.

Serves 4-6.

(I was concerned Pen wouldn't eat this, so I cooked some spaghetti noodles too...of course he ate it with the noodles instead of the zucchini)

Crock Pot Chicken Curry

10 chicken thighs (2 3/4 lbs)


1 jar (16 oz) salsa

1 medium onion, chopped

2 T curry powder



cook on low 8 - 10 hours


[from Amie]


shred chicken, add 1 c sour cream, stir and serve over rice or noodles.

Oven Pork Chops w/ an Apple Cider Gravy

Made Oven Pork Chops w/ an Apple Cider gravy, Mushroom wild rice and steamed carrots.




The chops are lightly breaded and lightly fried. Cut up 1/2 to a whole onion (depends on how much you like them) and about half a container of fresh mushrooms and layer in a baking dish. Lay your lightly fried chops over the veggies. Use the drippings, flour, a lil milk, seasonings salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder...) and apple cider to make your gravy. Amounts will depend on how much you are making. (I made 5 thin chops and used about 1/3 cup milk and 1 1/2 cups cider. Pour gravy over the veggies and meat and cover with foil. Bake for approx. 30 minutes, until meat is cooked thru and veggies are tender.


[from doodiebug30]

I might make this again in a week or two and try adding apple slices in the dish as well.

Sloppy Joes

We did have sloppy joes last night, which were good. I always half this recipe since we only have 2 big eaters and 1 little one :)




Its 2.5 lbs beef, 2 cups chopped onion, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup tomato juice, 2 tbls worcestershire sauce, 2 tbls mustard (I used stone ground), 2 tbls lemon juice, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 (6oz) can tomato paste, 12 buns (we use whole wheat keiser rolls).



Cook beef and onion in skillet. drain. Stir in ketchup and next 6 ing. Bring to boil (honestly there isnt much to boil so I added a tiny tomato juice and went directly to low heat).... simmer for 15 minutes stirring often.



These aren't like school cafeteria sloppy joes :-D. My husband isnt a big fan of them but he liked these. And I really liked them!

[from Kristin]

stuffed crepes with roasted red pepper sauce

I love this idea. Any herbivores out there? I'm always looking for new vegetarian or vegan recipes.


Tonight we had stuffed crepes with roasted red pepper sauce.


Ingredients

8 crepes

Filling:

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tomato, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1/4 tsp fennel seed, crushed
• 2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into sixths and thinly sliced
• goat cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

• 1 7 oz. jar roasted red peppers, well drained and patted dry
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1 minced garlic clove
• dash of cayenne
• salt

To make the filling:

1. saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil for 5 min.
2. add tomato and fennel, cook 1 min.
3. add zucchini, cook 10 more min.
4. season w/ salt and pepper to taste

To make the sauce:

1. combine all ingredients in blender and puree. Heat in a sauce pan.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

Assemble the crepes:

lightly butter a baking dish

spoon in some of the zucchini mixture along the center of a crepe and top it with some goat cheese

roll the crepe to make a log and place it seam side down in the baking dish and repeat with all crepes.

lay a lightly buttered sheet of wax aper on the crepes, cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Serve with sauce.


Very yummy dish.



*This recipe comes from Main-Course Vegetarian Pleasures*

 
[from Maryea]

Baked Ziti

Tonight is Baked Ziti, salad and Garlic Bread sticks:

• 2lb beef, 1 onion chopped: brown and drain
• 2 26 oz jars of fav. spaghetti sauce, mix with above and simmer for 30 min. I add a tbsp of sugar to cut the acidity
• 1 lb dry ziti-- cook by directions, toss with 3 tbsp olive oil so it doesn't stick
• 6 oz sliced provolone cheese
• 4 cups mozerella cheese
• 2 cups sour cream (I use light)
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan

Layers:

• a small amount of meat sauce to prevent sticking
• 1/2 of ziti
• all of provolone cheese
• all of sour cream
• 2 cups mozerella
• rest of ziti
• meat sauce
• top with rest of mozzarella and parmesan cheese
• bake at 350 for 30 minutes. If its been refrigerated, let it come to room temp on counter first (30-45 minutes). ITS DELICIOUS!!!!!!

This freezes well. If freezing, Just adjust the baking time to about an hour and let it thaw for a while.

I had thought the other day we might form a recipie exchange! This might just do the trick!

[from Ada]

Taco Soup

We had Taco Soup tonight (leftover from Sunday) which is so yummy:




Ingrediants: 1 lb ground beef, 1 onion (diced), 4 cloves garlic (minced), 30 oz kidney beans, 30 oz canned corn, 30 oz canned diced tomatoes (all with juices), 2 cups chicken or veggie broth, season with 1 T chili powder and 1 package taco seasoning (I just looked up what is in the seasoning online and put in the individual spices/herbs since I didn't have the mix).



Brown meat and onion in large dutch oven or stock pot. Add garlic and stir. Drain meat.



Add in all cans (I used 2 14.5 oz cans of each) with juice.



Add broth and seasonings. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer 30 min or so to let flavors meld. Great with Fresh Mex. Salad or rolls. We were in a hurry so just ate it on it's own. Mmmm. I've had 3 bowls today (lunch 1, dinner 2). :D

 
 
[from Rochelle]

Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping

Last week's thread made me crave pumpkin, so this is a great vegan recipe that I made last night (and will have leftovers tonight):




Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping



Ingredients:



3/4 lb. uncooked ziti or penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
2 onions, sliced very thinly (I forgot onions at the grocery store--oops! It was good without so if you don't like onions omit)
3 tbs olive oil
1 recipe Cashew Ricotta (recipe to follow)
1 tbs brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
white pepper and cayenne
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/4 cup vegetable broth

Sage Bread Crumbs

2 1/2 cups bread crumbs, preferable fresh and homemade (made from about half a baguette or 4 dinner rolls)

1/3 cup walnut pieces, chopped in food processor until resembling coarse crumbs

1/4 cup nonhydrogenated vegan margarine

2 tsp dried, rubbed sage

1 tsp dried oregano leaves

1/2 tsp ground paprika

salt and freshly ground black pepper



PREHEAT the oven to 375. Lightly greatse a 9X11 baking pan



Prepare ziti according to package directions, set aside.



While the pasta is cooking make the caramelized onion:



Preheat a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Saute the onions in oil until some onion bits are very brown and caramelized, 12-15 minutes. Set aside.



Place the Cashew Ricotta (recipe to follow) in a large bowl and fold in teh pumpkin puree, brown sugar, nutmet, white pepper, cayenne, and vegetable broth and mix. Add the cooked ziti and caramelized onions, stirring to coat the pasta. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and pres lightly with a rubber spatula to level it.



Make the sage bread crumbs:



Melt the margarine in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Stir int eh bread crumbs, walnuts, dried erbs, and paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Stir constantly until the mixture is lightly coated, 3 to 4 min. Remove from the heat and sprinkle evenly over the ziti.



Bake for 28-30 minutes, until the top of the ziti is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.



Cashew Ricotta Recipe



This can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator or you can incorporate this step into the recipe. This is also great as a stand-in for ricotta in lasagna recipes if you are trying to avoid dairy.



1/2 cup raw cashew pieces



1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I used lime because I didn't have a lemon)



2 tbs. olive oil



2 cloves garlic



1 pd. firm tofu, drained and crumbled



1 1/2 tsp. dried basil



1 1/2 tsp salt



In a food processor, blend together the cashews, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic until a thick creamy paste forms. Add the crumbled tofu to the food processor, working in two or more batches if necessary, until the mixture is thick and well blended. Blend in the basil and salt.







I love this dish! So delish!



ETA: This recipe comes from a cookbook called "Veganomicon The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook"

 
 
[from Maryea]

Fall Pasta with Pumpkin, Sausage, and Sage

(If you don't eat pork, which we rarely do, I use chicken sausage and and add extra sage)




It's a Rachael Ray recipe, but this is a great place to get the perfect instructions...



http://foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/09/fall-pasta-with-pumpking-sausage-and.html

 
[from Raegan]

Baked Beef Stew

This meal takes a long time to cook, but the prep is fast, so I like to do it on Sundays before we go to church.




Baked Beef Stew



1 pound stew meat (I buy it already chopped to save time, but if you could buy it whole and chop it into chunks yourself)

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp. minute tapioca

black pepper to taste (I do about 1/2 - 1 tsp, but I really like pepper)

5 potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, peeled and chopped
5 carrots, peeled and chopped

2-3 celery stalks, chopped

1 can of V-8 juice



Preheat oven to 250. Place meat in roasting pan. Mix salt, tapioca, sugar, and pepper together and pour over meat. Add veggies and pour V-8 juice over all. Cover and bake for 5 hours.


[from Kristi]