Slow Cooker Tailgate Chili

In the deep winter, it's still a great time for chili and slow-cooker chili! 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15-oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14-oz) diced tomatoes
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2-3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp (vegan) Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground ginger
dash ground cloves 

1 bay leaf
1 cup dry bulgur wheat

2 cups vegetable broth 
1½ cups corn
1 cup (9-oz) salsa
4-oz guacamole

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent.
2. Combine onions and garlic with all ingredients except guacamole in slow cooker. 
3. Cook on low approximately 8 hours.
4. Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.
5. Thin with water or veg broth if necessary.
6. Garnish with guacamole.

Notes:

• Serves 4
• Per serving: 397 calories, 8.1g fat, 73g carbs, 21g fiber, 9.9g sugars, 16.9g protein

Slow-cooker Moroccan Chili

It's still chili season, so here is another slow-cooker chili for you. Here's a hint, I have a few of these slow-cooker chili recipes and I hope to get them all up this fall.

Ingredients:
2 baking potatoes
1 onion, diced
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
4 carrots, sliced
4 celery stalks, sliced
2 cans (15-oz ea) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp Ras el Hanout
2 cans (14-oz) diced tomatoes

Directions:

1. Throw everything except the potatoes together in a 6-8 quart crock pot.
2. Cook on low 6-8 hours until veggies are soft, the chili is warm and tasty.
3. Meanwhile, bake your potatoes.
4. Serve chili over potato.

Notes:

• Serves 4
• You can make this stove-top by sauteing the onion and garlic until translucent, adding the veggies and cooking until tender, stirring in spices to coast, then adding beans and tomatoes plus some water, cooking for about 20 minutes, stirring as needed, until warm and tasty.

Orzo Chili

I've been loving chili. Last fall, I made chili in the crockpot every weekend. This is one of them. You can make it stovetop or in the crockpot. The only problem with pasta in the crockpot is that you slip over the done line to over-done quiet quickly. You need to watch it carefully.

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
2 bell peppers seed, diced 
1 can kidney beans drain, rinsed
1 quart veg broth 
1-2 tbsp chili powder 
1-2 tbsp dried oregano 
2 cans diced tomatoes 
1 cup dry orzo 

Directions:

1. Line a large pot with ¼-cup broth.  
2. Add onions, garlic, and bell peppers and sauté until onions are translucent.
3. Stir in chili powder and oregano to coat. 
4. Add 2 cups broth, tomatoes (with juices), and orzo or rice. 
5. Stir together, cover, and bring to a boil.  
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer until orzo or rice is cooked, 10-40 minutes. 
7. Stir frequently. 
8. Check both periodically to see if additional broth is needed. 
9. Once cooked, stir in beans plus additional broth to thin chili as desired. 
10. Warm over low heat, if needed. 
11. Season with salt and pepper.
12. Ladle chili equally among 4 bowls and serve.

Notes:

• Slow Cooker option: Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high 3-4 hours.
• Per serving: 383 calories, 2.3g fat, 79.4g carbs, 14.7g fiber, 19.5g sugars, 16.3g protein.

2-Bean Pumpkin Chili

Even though it's February, it's a pumpkin-themed week! This chili was a part of the weekly meal plans from the Meal Mentor at Happy Herbivore. One child who does not like chili would not eat it, but the other child thought it was okay. I made some modifications to the recipe to fit my less-spicy preference taste buds.

Ingredients:
olive oil, as needed
1 onion, diced
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup (8 oz) vegetable broth
1 cup canned pumpkin
3.25-oz can tomato paste
15-oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
15-oz can kidney bean, (undrained)

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pot.
2. Saute onion and garlic until translucent.
3. Add chili powder and cumin, stirring to coat.
4. Add broth, pumpkin, and tomato paste, stirring to combine.
5. Stir in black beans.
6. Stir in kidney beans with its liquid.
7. Cover and reduce heat to low.
8. Cook until the beans are warm.
9. Thin chili with a little water or broth, if needed.
10. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Notes:

• Serves 4.
• Slow cooker directions: combine everything all at once in a slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Entree: Teriyaki Pork Roast

Fall is coming. It arrived here the week after Labor Day. Cooler weather means slow-cooker aka crock pot.  One of my projects in this digitization of recipes is going through recipes in my recipe box that were not on my previously prepared recipe cards. These recipes must be made and cleared past the judges. This recipe was one of those.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 pounds), halved
7-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water


Directions:

1. In a greased 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first seven ingredients. Add roast and turn to coat. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.
2. Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with meat.

Other Details:

• 8 servings. 
• Prep: 10 min. 
• Cook: 7 hours + 10 min.
• Nutritional Analysis from original recipe card: One serving (prepared with light soy sauce) equals 292 calories, 212 mg sodium, 101 mg cholesterol, 9 gm carbohydrate, 36 gm protein, 12 gm fat, trace fiber. 
• Diabetic Exchanges: 4-1/2 lean meat, 1/2 starch
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