Tortilla-Less Chicken Soup

1 medium onion, diced

4 celery stalks, diced

3 carrots, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or fully cooked rotisserie chicken)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, diced

16 oz chicken broth

1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chilies

12 oz. red enchilada sauce

2 cups tomato sauce

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 cup coconut milk

In saute pan, saute the onion, celery, and carrots in the oil for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.  Place sauteed veggies in the slow cooker.  Add chicken (Note: If using pre-cooked chicken, only add  in the last 30 minutes of cooking).  Add all the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, stir, cover and cook on low for 8 hours. 

Remove chicken breasts, dice or shred meat.  Stir back into the soup, and serve with sliced avocado. 

Serves 6.

Thanks, Chrissy Gower!

Oven's Broken - Break Out the Slow Cooker!

The heating element has been out on our oven since Saturday, so I've been cooking on the stove, and using the slow cooker and pressure cooker a lot more.  Great timing, since I have found some great recipes in my new book, Paleo Slow Cooking, by Chrissy Gower.  Here are a couple of easy favorites:

SLOW COOKED SWEET POTATOES

6 to 8 sweet potatoes, washed

Turn slow cooker on low, place sweet potatoes in it.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Yummy, perfect goodness with no fuss!

GRANDPA'S SAUCY RIBS

2 to 3 racks of baby back ribs (cut as needed to fit into your slow cooker)

salt and pepper

your favorite barbecue sauce - Here's a link to our favorite, from Food Lovers Primal Palate 

Rinse ribs and pat dry.  If necessary, cut to fit in your cooker.  Sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper.  Cover, and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8.  When the ribs are cooked, turn the slow cooker to Keep Warm, and add your barbecue sauce.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Brisket

1 grass-fed beef or bison brisket

1 cup beef stock, preferably unsalted

large handful of sliced sweet onions

large handful of baby carrots

2 cups primal barbecue sauce (click here for recipe)

Oil your slow cooker, and set on low.  Place the baby carrots and sliced onions in the bottom, mixed together.  Pour beef stock on top of veggies.   Place the brisket on top.  Pour the barbecue sauce on the brisket and close the lid.  Cook for 6 to 8 hours on low.  Remove the brisket and cut or shred the meat into servings.  Spoon some of the carrot-y, onion-y goodness out of the bottom of the slow cooker over the meat.

Thanks, Food Lovers' Primal Palate for this sauce recipe.  It made it taste great! 

Pot Roast with Carmelized Onions

1 3 to 4 lb pot roast (any cut - chuck, tip, etc.)

salt & pepper to taste

extra-virgin olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (if I don't have enough left, I use our Keurig)

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Heat 2 tsp oil in large pan.  Add beef and brown on all sides.  Transfer to slow cooker.  Add a bit more oil to pan.  Add onions and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 7 to 10 minutes.  Stir in coffee and vinegar; bring to a simmer.  Add the pan mixture to the slow cooker, and cook until the beef is tender, 4 1/2 to 5 hours on high or 7 to 8 hours on low.  Carve the beef, and ladle the onions/broth on top.

Budget Friendly Chicken Soup

4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 cup homemade chicken stock (you can use can if it's sodium-free)

1 can no salt diced tomatoes, not drained - I was afraid to try fresh tomatoes, for fear they'd be mushy in the slow cooker.

pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker, and cook on high for 8 hours.  After 8 hours, remove the chicken breasts and shred with 2 forks.  Put back in the crock pot on warm till ready to serve.  Taste to adjust pepper to your taste.  Makes about 6 servings. 

Note: I used 3 large breasts, and had lots of meat in my "Stoup"

Thanks, Everyday Paleo.

Chicken Curry with Peppers and Cabbage

1 to 1.5 lbs. of chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces.  You can use thighs for more flavor, or breasts

1 to 2 cans of coconut milk.  I think 2 is good, 1 probably won't be enough liquid.

2 to 3 Tbsp. curry paste - this is found in Asian section of the grocery store, and comes in red or green.  I used green this time.

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1/2 head green cabbage

Turn on the slow cooker, and pour in the coconut milk.  Mix in curry paste until dissolved.

Put in chicken cubes, stir.  Cut bell pepper and onion into similar size pieces, and add to cooker.  Stir again.  Cut up the cabbage into wedges, then cut thin strip that you separate with your hands, and add to the pot.  Stir again, trying to cover with the sauce, but it's okay if they're not all submerged.  The cabbage will cook down. 

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.  You can garnish with some scallions (green onions) and a bit more curry paste if desired.

Easy Swiss Steak

Take 2 lbs. of stew meat, and toss with 1/4 cup of A.1. original steak sauce. 

Put in a slow cooker. 

Top with 1 sliced onion and 1 undrained 14.5 oz. can of diced organic no-salt tomatoes. 

Cover.  Cook on low for 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. 

Mix 2 Tbsp. flour with 1/4 cup water.  Stir into the meat mixture and cook, covered for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened a bit.  Serve over spaghetti squash or mashed cauliflower, or mashed potatoes, depending on which stage of paleo you are in. 

Makes about 6 servings, 1 cup each.