Crock pot broccoli beef

I have a weakness for good Chinese food, especially General Tso's Chicken and Beef & Broccoli, but I know it's really not good for me.  Living just down the street from my favorite hole-in-the-wall Chinese place is dangerous and I crave their food kind of a lot, but am always holding myself back.  I decided to try making my own when I came across a recipe for beef and broccoli in the crock pot.  It doesn't taste quite like it does at Queen House, but it's pretty good, and definitely less unhealthy!


The first time around it reminded me a little bit of one of TDN's staple pot-roast-over-rice meals, but I added a couple extra drops of sesame oil and it was great!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• fresh broccoli florets
• hot cooked rice

Directions:

Place beef in crock pot.

In a small bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic.  Pour over beef.

Cook on low 6-8 hours.

In a cup, stir cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons of sauce from the crock pot until smooth.  Add to crock pot.  Stir well to combine.

Add broccoli.  Stir again.

Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).

Serve over rice.

Adapted from My Fridge Food

Buffalo chicken lettuce cups

Along with my other Chinese food loves (that I talked about here), chicken lettuce cups are my favorite appetizer at Chinese and Thai restaurants by far.  They're just so delicious.  And I was very intrigued by the idea of a lettuce leaf as a dish/wrap/whatever it is.  Coming across a recipe that used a crock pot (my favorite kitchen gadget of late) AND involved that silly lettuce cup concept sounded like something fun to try!

My only concern was that I wouldn't like the buffalo nature of the "buffalo chicken lettuce cups."  I really enjoy spicy food and like the flavors that it brings, but often find buffalo-flavored things to be unnecessarily spicy without much flavor.  To my delight, this chicken was exactly what I wanted, with some spice and yet not too buffalo-y.

The one thing about this that made me sad was that I have no idea how the restaurants have such perfect lettuce leaves to use as lettuce cups.  Mom suggested that I need a left-handed head of lettuce, but I tried that, too, with no luck.  I'm just resigned to believing that my lettuce will never be the right shape, but these were so delicious I quickly got over it.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 celery stalks
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 can (16 oz) chicken broth
• 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (or hot cayenne pepper sauce)
• large lettuce leaves
• ranch dressing
• 2 carrots

Directions:

Tiny carrot and celery matchsticks

In a crock pot, combine chicken, onions, one celery stalk (I diced it first, but you can put it in whole), garlic, and broth.  If chicken isn't covered, add water to cover the chicken.  Cover and cook on high 4 hours.

Remove chicken from crock pot.  Reserve 1/2 cup broth and discard the rest.

Shred the chicken with two forks.  Return to crock pot with the 1/2 cup reserved broth and the buffalo sauce.  Cook on high 30 minutes.

To prepare lettuce cups:  Cut other 2 celery stalks and carrots into 2-inch matchsticks.  Place buffalo chicken in each leaf, top with dressing, carrots, and celery.  Wrap up, prepare to get messy hands, and enjoy!

Adapted from Skinny Taste

Crock pot broccoli cheese soup

I am loving my crock pot right now and having fun experimenting with new recipes.  Tonight was my first attempt at a soup, and it was delicious.  Granted, the texture was a little funny (I should have stirred it one more time in the middle), but I got over that quickly once I tasted it!  This was the most filling soup I think I have ever eaten, and I can't wait for the leftovers!

My one regret was that I didn't use a crock pot liner when I thought about it.  The clean-up wasn't too dreadful after letting the gooey-cheesiness soak for awhile.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups milk
• 1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 3 cups fresh chopped broccoli

Directions:

Saute onion and green pepper in butter.

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low 3-4 hours, stirring once or twice.

**You can also use frozen broccoli (10 oz bag, chopped), and then I would reduce the milk to 1 1/2 cups.

Adapted from Food.com

Chicken and Stuffing

I am a huge fan of crock pot meals, especially ones that are quick to throw together on your way out the door.  This has a fairly short cook time, so it's not the best for a day of work, but it worked perfectly for my afternoon of running errands and coming home to a house that smelled amazing!  The pictures really don't do it justice.  It's not a super pretty meal, but it is mighty tasty!

Ingredients:

• 4 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (6 oz) package of Stove Top stuffing mix
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

Put chicken in the crock pot.

Empty the package of stuffing on top.

Mix sour cream, soup, and water in a small bowl.  Pour over the top of the chicken and stuffing.

Cook on LOW for 4 hours.

This was so delicious and the chicken just fell apart while I was scooping it out.  Definitely a recipe to keep around.

Borrowed from The Pursuit of Happiness