Slow Cooker Coconut Red Beans and Rice Recipe

It's the 24th of May, and it is STILL COLD OUTSIDE.

dude. this is getting old.

I'm trying my hardest to not complain, and to instead pretend it's tropical outside. It looks like in order to have a somewhat-tropical environment this holiday weekend, I'm going to have to crank up the thermostat and inflate some plastic palm trees.

or I could just eat some leftover coconut red beans and rice.

The Ingredients.

serves 8

1 cup dried small red beans (soaked overnight, then boiled for 10 minutes)
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 (14.5-ounce) can coconut milk (full fat is best. if you prefer to not use full-fat, add a drop or two of coconut extract to intensify the flavor)
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups long grain basmati white rice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 limes, cut in wedges (optional)

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Sort beans, and soak overnight in a bunch of water. In the morning, drain the water and dump the beans into a large pot of fresh water. Boil rapidly on the stovetop for at least 10 minutes before draining and putting into your crockpot.

Red beans MUST be boiled on the stove before added to the slow cooker to kill a possible toxin that occurs naturally. Want more info? click here.

Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour in the whole can of coconut milk (the creamy stuff, too), and chicken broth. Stir in raw rice and kosher salt. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans are bite tender. Before eating, squeeze on a bit of lime juice for a fun tropical twist.

The Verdict.

These are some killer beans. I loved how everything cooked together in one pot, and how coconuty the rice tasted. My grandma took home a big Tupperware and reported back that they froze and reheated quite well (she nuked to reheat).

I used chicken broth because I like the flavor it provides, but if you'd prefer to keep your meal purely vegetarian, you should use veggie broth. I don't think water would provide enough impact.

more stuff with beans:
dried bean tutorial
cowboy beans
traditional chili
white bean and apple chili
beans and weenies
black bean soup
calico bean soup
bbq beef and bean sandwiches
smoky refried bean soup

and more in the archives!

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Greek Spiced Spareribs Slow Cooker Recipe

(that's my friend Claudia's plate she left during the super bowl. she might not be getting it back...)

Who's ready for some ribs? Although it's the middle of May, which usually is the beginning of outdoor grilling time, our weather has been so chilly, that I'm perfectly happy staying inside to slow cook my ribs.

Actually, if it was super hot outside, I'd still want to be inside slow cooking my ribs. Ribs just taste better when slow cooked.
anyhow.

I LOVE THESE RIBS! The meat falls right off the bone, and while there are a lot of listed ingredients--it comes together very quickly. This spice combination is fantastic; it'd make an old leather shoe taste good.

The Ingredients.
serves 4-6 or 2 hungry moms

4 pounds pork spareribs (you can use beef, too)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon anise
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (leave intact)
4 whole cloves (leave intact)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup orange juice


The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place ribs into cooker. In a mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar with all of the ground spices. Rub this mixture the best you can on all sides of the ribs. Throw in the whole peppercorns and cloves. Drizzle on the honey, and add orange juice.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until meat is super tender and separates from the bone.

The Verdict.

Wonderful. I shared these ribs with my friend Georgia( who happens to be Greek), and we stood in my kitchen the day after I made them and ate the leftovers cold with the refrigerator door wide open. I was planning to reheat them, but she wanted just a nibble, and before we realized what happened we scarfed down 3 ribs each while waiting for the coffee to percolate.

I'm glad the kids were busy watching The Backyardigans so we didn't have to share!

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Slow Cooker Puffy Pizza Casserole Recipe

Hello all over again! I've got my coffee, and am beginning to feel somewhat-human again. I've been wandering the living room in a complete daze trying to process the past few days.

Thank you so much to everyone who took time out of their busy lives to come see me at the Food and Wine Festival. I had so much fun putting faces to email addresses and blogger handles.
I love how enormously huge and scary and yet how small and friendly the Internet can be all at the same time.
You are all wonderful, thank you.

Who's ready for pizza? While I was doing my year-long slow cooking challenge, I got a few cheeky comments from people who were certain that my family was missing out on eating pizza because I was preparing a slow cooker meal everyday. Since we're gluten free, we don't actually eat all that much pizza anymore anyway, but the comments still got my brain buzzing, and I wondered if I COULD make pizza in a crockpot.

I can now say: yup.

It's not the same, but it's close enough to a deep-dish style pizza to satisfy any and all pizza cravings, and it comes right out of your crockpot.

Life is good.

The Ingredients.
serves 8


1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (1.5) ounce packet of spaghetti mix (if using store-bought, look out for hidden gluten. I like the McCormick brand. You can also make your own using the recipe below)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water

for puffy topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour (I use Pamela's Baking Mix as my AP flour)
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
20 pepperoni slices
1/2 cup sliced olives, optional

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Mix
yields 1 packet

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons green pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart slow cooker (if you only have a 6, that's okay, it will just cook faster. Check it after 3 hours on high.)

In a very large skillet, brown beef, onion, and garlic on the stove top. Drain fat, and add spaghetti sauce mix, oregano, tomato sauce, and water. Stir over low heat until tiny bubbles appear. Remove from heat and scoop into the slow cooker (you might want to spray it with cooking spray).

In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for your puffy topping: flour, milk, eggs, and cheese. Pour evenly over the top. Place pepperoni slices and olives on top of the topping.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or until the topping has turned golden brown, puffed up, and pulled away from the sides.
I have not tried to cook this yet on low. I'd check it after 6 hours (in a 4-quart, 4 hours in a 6-quart).
If you do opt to cook it on low, I'd love to hear your timing results!

The Verdict.

I was given this recipe from a good friend of mine (who is rather shy and doesn't want her name on the internet!), and was so eager to give it a try. She usually cooks it in the oven, but said that sometimes it puffs over the side of her baking dish, and makes a huge mess in the bottom of her oven.

I loved the way it worked in the crock. I didn't vent the lid at all---it puffs up beautifully and completely satisfied my family's cravings without needing to worry about gluten or tipping the delivery guy!

more pizza stuff:
pizza soup
pizza fondue

go read about PowerAde Play! there's a chance for you to win $125!

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I'm home! PowerAde Play Review! Puffy Pizza Casserole on the Way!

It's 6:57 am, and I need to admit that I'm really, really tired.

We spent the last 5 days in Disneyland, where I participated in the California Adventure's Food and Wine Festival. I don't think I could have possibly had any more fun---it was wonderful. I love Disney and all things Disney, and to pair Disney with food and wine? OH MY!

but I'm a wee bit tired.

It's a good thing I've got a bunch of PowerAde Play in the fridge. What's PowerAde Play, you might ask?

It's a brand new sports drink for children, and while I am usually *not* a fan of sugary colored drinks for children, or for anyone, really, I liked this stuff.

I really did.

I'm not even lying.

This has no high fructose corn syrup, and is much lower in calories than the competition.

Click over to Totally Together Reviews for my full take on this new drink, and for a chance to win $125 for your child's sports team.

I've got a fantastic Pizza Casserole I'm dying to share. Lemme get some (strong) coffee and start the laundry, and I'll type it right up.

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Slow Cooker Cheese Enchilada Stack Recipe

How is it May already? Someone has been screwing with the calendar and been pressing the fast forward button.

I made a well-received dinner the other night, and figured out how to make enchilada sauce using pantry staples that tastes like enchilada sauce instead of watered down tomatoey water.

All by myself.

except for the part where I got a little help from the Internet.

I love the Internet.

The Ingredients
serves 6

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (the whole can)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried minced onion (or 1 small onion, finely diced)
8 corn tortillas (check labels for hidden gluten)
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (4-ounce) can sliced olives, drained
6 tablespoons sour cream

The Directions

First off, this is vegetarian (well, except that I used chicken broth because I always have chicken broth in the house, and I think vegetable broth kind of smells like compost).

If you want to add meat, you should use already cooked pork, beef or chicken (great use for shredded chicken!).
This is NOT because the meat won't cook---it definitely will, but while it cooks, it will give off so much liquid that your enchilada stack will be soggy and gross.

And nobody wants that.

Anyhow. Use a 4-quart slow cooker. In a large mixing bowl, make enchilada sauce by combining:
broth
tomatoes
spices
onion
Stir well and set aside. Put a layer of tortillas into the bottom of your slow cooker (you may need to tear a few). Add a handful of cheese, and some sliced olives. Scoop a large spoonful of sauce on top. Repeat layers until you've run out of ingredients.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or until cheese has melted, is brown and bubbly, and the top layer has begun to pull away from the sides. Let it sit unplugged for about 15 minutes before serving with a dollop of sour cream.

The Verdict

We all cleaned our plates. It's a bit messy, but this tastes fantastic and was super easy to throw together.
You could make this on Wednesday, which happens to be Cinco de Mayo!
Already.
how is it May? what is going on?
I must be getting old. or something.

other stuff you should make for Cinco de Mayo and then invite me over because we've got nothing planned:

fajitas
easy chicken tacos
tamales (impress your friends!)
tamale pie
enchilada casserole
enchilada chili
carnitas
taco dip
chimichangas (so much fun!)
albondigas soup
rotel and sausage dip
Mexican Breakfast casserole
tortilla soup

and then for your leftover drink mix:
margarita chicken

also, I thought I'd post a review and give away today on Totally Together Reviews, but it's not quite ready to go yet.
Instead, you can get your give-away fix over on my friend Shirley's blog!

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