Tortilla Soup

 Colleen's take: "I have developed this recipe to be convenient for my schedule, our tuesdays and thursdays are so busy and I don't have time to make meals so slow cooker nights it is! This meal cost me around $10 to make coming out to around $1.20 a serving. It's a perfect mix of spicy and satisfying, put it over rice to make it stretch further or just eat it with some tortilla chips & a slice of avocado either way it will rival any restaurant." 

Ingredients:

•  2 cans rotel 
• 1 medium onion 
• enchilada sauce 
• 14 oz can of chicken broth
• 3 chicken breasts or 1 1/2 lb pork loin (before serving you'll pull these out and shred them) 
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1/4 tsp pepper 
• bay leaf 
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 package of frozen corn (10oz) 
• 1/4 cup cilantro 
• lime, juiced & cut

Directions: 

Dump everything but the cilantro and lime into the crockpot or slow cooker plus two cups of water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4. At the end pull the meat out and let rest for 20 minutes, shred and add back to the slow cooker. Chop up cilantro and juice a half lime into the pot slice up the other side for serving. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, dollop of sour cream, avocado or a wedge of lime. Enjoy. 

**If you want to make this meal ahead and freeze it in a ziplock bag, omit the chicken broth and water until you cook but this is a perfect make ahead! 

Chicken Taco Soup

Colleen's take: "This is one of my favorite dump and go crock pot recipes, I make it every couple of weeks because it cooks up beautifully and full of mexican flavor as well as plenty of delicious leftovers for us to eat for lunch the next few days. I've also substituted a pork loin to this instead of chicken. It's got so many ingredients that you could exclude the meat making it vegetarian, I haven't tried that yet, let me know if you do! This meal is great for the pocket book too, it costs us around $1.25 a serving!" 

Ingredients: 

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (or broth)
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional garnish after cooking)
sour cream (optional garnish after cooking)
crushed tortilla chips (optional garnish after cooking)

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients into a Ziploc bag. Freeze for later if you want a quick make ahead meal. Thaw and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken in crock pot once cooking is done (I usually take it out to shred). Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired. Served approx. 5-6 people. (I usually get 7-8 servings)

Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili

  
  Well it is officially chilly here, bring on the soups, stews, and chili's! We both thought that this chili had great flavor. Tyler thought that it tasted better with the chicken, I thought my meatless version was filling with great flavor. 
  The flavor of the cilantro was lost amongst all the other ingredients. Although it is pretty I don't think it was worth buying the cilantro. This is a thicker chili, so if you like it with more liquid add another can or two of tomato sauce. 
  I will for sure use this instead of my old chili recipe ( I used to buy the chili packet and the ingredients it called for on the back, pretty boring). We also garnished the chili with Fritos because that's what Texans do.Thank you pinterest!

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• chili peppers, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream (extra points). 

Original recipe from skinny taste

Curried Lentils {Annah}

  
I have made this once before, and I remember liking it alot better then this time around. It had ok flavor, but this time it just seemed plain and bland. I do love that you can throw everything in the Crockpot and it is ready when you are. The last time I made this it was January and in the dead of winter. Maybe that is what made it taste so good.
 
If you enjoy curry, I would recommend trying this recipe. I wont be making in the next month, but I might try this again come December.
 
Serves 6
Ingredients:

• 2 cups lentils
• 8-10 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups baby carrots or 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
• 6 small potatoes, quartered
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place lentils, stock, curry powder, chili flakes, fresh ginger, onion, garlic, carrots and potatoes in a slow cooker.

Cook for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low, or until lentils are cooked and carrots and potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Original recipe from  Meatless Mondays

Vegetable & Chickpea Curry

Colleen: "I thought I would give this recipe a go, I attempt to cook vegetarian once a week & I have a new love for curry. I was delighted by this recipe. All the veggies cooked to a great textural consistency & the flavors all melded together. This is one of those dishes where I didn't miss not having meat. I hope that you can try this out and enjoy it as I have."

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 3 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 1/2 cups cubed peeled baking potato
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 cup (1-inch) cut green beans
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (14-ounce) can vegetable broth
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 6 lemon wedges

Preparation: 

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add curry powder, sugar, ginger, garlic, and chile; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Place onion mixture in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Stir in chickpeas and next 8 ingredients (through broth). Cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Add spinach and coconut milk; stir until spinach wilts. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Italian Chicken with Sausage & Peppers

Colleen: "Now here I go again making a crock pot dish that requires cooking before hand. In case you haven't been keeping up, I think it's stupid.. That's right STUPID. Cooking something before its supposed to go into the crock pot to be cooked all day makes absolutely zero sense! What's the point of a lazy crock pot dinner if you have to do a lot of work?? But I did and I liked it, I added rice & corn, so it kinda seemed like Jambalaya to me (that's a southern dish for those of you who don't know) it was a lot of extra work but I guess it was worth it, I don't know if I will add this recipe to my normal routine but maybe a few times a year."

this is one of the ugliest pictures i've taken! 

2 1/2 lbs chicken pieces (I used breasts with bone in & skin)
2 tbls olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 lbs sweet italian sausage
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (19 oz) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil (was out of, so didn't use)
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper

1. Rinse chicken; pat dry. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down. Cook about 10 minutes, turning to brown both side. Remove and reserve. 
2. Add sausage to skillet and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until browned. Remove and cut into 1-inch pieces; reserve. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. 
3. Add bell peppers, onion, carrot and garlic to skillet. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 
4. Add tomato sauce, tomato soup, oregano, basil, and bay leaf; stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to slow cooker. 
5. Add chicken and sausage to slow cooker. Cover; cook on Low 6 to 8 hours or on High 4 to 6 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf before serving. 

Recipe sourced from Rival Crock Pot Slow Cooker Recipes

Easy Parmesan Chicken

Colleen: "I don't like having to do any cooking before I put food in the crock pot, I think that its stupid. But for this recipe I made an exception & it was worth it. I threw this dish over some penne & my little boys just gobbled it up. I did add in some bonus spices such as Pasta seasoning thats mixed with red pepper flakes & rosemary." 

Ingredients:
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
Hot cooked spaghetti

1. Place mushrooms and onion in slow cooker.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Lightly brown chicken on both sides. Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour pasta sauce over chicken; add herbs. Cover cook on LOW 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove and discard bay leaf. 
3. Sprinkle chicken with cheeses. Cook, uncovered, on LOW 15 to 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted. Serve over spaghetti. 

Serving Suggestions: Other vegetables, such as sliced zucchini, cubed eggplant or broccoli florets, can be substituted for the mushroom slices. 

Recipe courtesy of Rival Crock Pot slow cooker recipes

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

Colleen: "Well lets put this dish down in the books as a fail. It was edible but I just don't enjoy mushy crock pot chicken & disintegrated (expensive) bell peppers. From the looks of this blog post (that i pinned from Pinterest) the recipe looked delish & would have been the perfect end to a busy day with everyones favorite, fajitas! Wrong wrong wrong. Perhaps I went wrong somewhere but this recipe seems pretty cut & dry. So good luck if you try it out."

Ingredients: 

1 yellow onion, sliced

3 sweet peppers, sliced

1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs

½ cup chicken broth

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cumin

1 ½ tablespoons chili powder

Squirt of lime juice

Tortillas

Fajita fixings

Combine sliced onion and peppers in the bottom of a greased crockpot. Lay chicken on top of veggies. Pour chicken broth over top. Sprinkle everything with cumin, salt, and chili powder. Give a nice quirt of lime juice over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. When meat is done, shred with two forks and stir back into juices. Serve meat mixture with slotted spoon on tortillas with your choice of fixings. 

Original recipe sourced from stacymakescents.com 

Three Pepper Pasta Sauce

Colleen's Take: "I have been trying to find recipes that are easier for those days that I am swamped with stuff so I made this the one the other night and found it DELICIOUS great for a vegetarian or non vegetarian who wants to change it up!  I ended up using a frozen bag of peppers & onions instead of dicing fresh ones. It smelled so good all day long & tasted wonderful, I ended up adding a little more spice to the dish with Chef Paul Prudhommes Pizza & Pasta Magic Seasoning. I also had to add italian sausage because this wasn't a meatless night and my husband threw a fit." 

MAKES 4-6 SERVINGS

PREP TIME: 10-15 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 7 TO 8 HOURS (LOW) / 3 TO 4 HOURS (HIGH)

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces 
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained 
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or ground pepper 
Hot cooked pasta of your choice
Shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese 

1. Combine bell peppers, tomatoes with juice, onion, tomato paste, garlic, oil, basil, oregano, salt & pepper in CROCK POT slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or until vegetable are tender. 
2. Adjust seasoning, if desired. Serve with pasta and garnish with cheese. 

Tip: Save time by purchasing 3 cups of mixed bell pepper chunks from supermarket or deli.

Original recipe sourced from Crock Pot Cookbook. 

Fiesta Soup

"Annah's take: I enjoyed this soup. I loved that you could throw the raw veggies in and let them cook in the crock pot. I did not use chicken and instead added black beans and chick peas. I also added rice to add more sustenance. The soup was a little too spicy for me. The husband thought it was fine but I had to add a lot of cheese to cool it down. As a heads up I even used mild enchilada sauce, I think I would cut back on the chili powder. I forgot to buy the cilantro and it was ok without it, but I think it would have added a nice touch."

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

15 MINUTES PREP TIME

4 boneless skinless cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes, drained 
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 can (28 oz) enchilada sauce 
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1 cup finely chopped onion2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder 3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
8 tostada shells, crumbled
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese 

Check out Colleen's attempt at this recipe too Chicken Fiesta Soup.

Slow-Simmered Curried Chicken

Colleen's Take: "I loved this recipe, I have workout class at 4:30, 3 days a week so we have been revving up the old crock pot a lot lately. This recipe is excellent, I started it cooking at noon and it filled my house with smells of Indian cuisine which left me hungry all day! It tasted excellent, the only thing I would change is adding some peanuts or cashews. If you don't like your food too spicy I would omit the hot pepper flakes but we felt the spice was just right for our family. My husband & I gave this one an A+"

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

PREP TIME: 15-20 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 5-6 HOURS (LOW), 2-3 (HIGH)

1 1/2 cups chopped onions 
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped 
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces 
1 cup medium salsa 
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon curry power 
3/4 teaspoon salt
Hot cooked rice

1. Place onions and bell pepper in bottom of Crock-Pot slow cooker. Top with chicken. Combine salsa, ginger, garlic power, and pepper flakes in small bowl; spoon over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW 5-6 hours or HIGH 2-3 hours or until chicken is done. 
2. Combine cilantro, sugar, curry power, & salt in small bowl. Stir mixture into Crock pot and cook on HIGH 15 minutes or until hot. Serve with rice. 

Reference Crock-Pot Cookbook

Chicken Fiesta Soup

Colleen's Take: "I completely loved this dish! It taste like a restaurant tortilla soup. It would be an excellent vegetarian dish if you omit the chicken." 

MAKES 8 SERVINGS
15 MINUTES PREP TIME

4 boneless skinless cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes, drained 
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 can (28 oz) enchilada sauce 
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder 
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
8 tostada shells, crumbled
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese 

1. Combine chicken, tomatoes, chilies, enchilada sauce, broth, onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, pepper, salt, cilantro, corn, squash and zucchini in Crock Pot slow cooker. 
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. To serve, fill individual bowls with soup. Garnish with crumbled tostada shells and cheese. 

Recipe from Sharoon Smith, Elk Grove, CA