Crock Pot Beer Chicken

Merry Christmas Everyone! Today is an exciting day. I'm going to be celebrating the holiday with my fiance's family at his mother's home not far from here. It's only my second Christmas with Richie and his family and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Then again, why wouldn't it be fun?! There's lots of presents...and who doesn't like presents. Not this girl. Thought I'd start today off with a recipe for Beer Chicken in the Crock Pot. I'm not a huge fan of beer, personally I'd prefer hard apple cider, but I decided to give this a go. Surprisingly, the chicken did taste like beer, though the house smelled amazing and NOT particularly like beer. Now that I think of it, next time I'll try using hard apple cider instead of beer. Don't get me wrong, beer chicken is delicious and when you cook it in the slow cooker, it's super tender and moist. If it were cooked on the bone it would fall right off, that's how tender it was.

The best thing about a Crock Pot is how simple it is to make a large yummy meal. Set it and forget it! Remember that infomercial? Ugh, I'm getting old (more on that later). So here it is, Crock Pot Beer Chicken using whatever kind of beer you'd like. I used Red Hook's Nut Brown beer which is part of their seasonal series to which I no longer see on their website - it's all we had in the house. It's a great beer nonetheless if you are the beer drinking type. But by all means, try whichever type of beer you have, or better yet, use something else entirely other than beer. Anywho, here's the recipe:

Crockpot Beer Chicken

makes 4-6 servings - prep time: 5 minutes - cook time: 6.5 hrs

Ingredients:

• 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 bottle (or can) of beer
• 1 teaspoon powdered garlic
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher sea salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients in Crock Pot
2. Add chicken in one layer, nestle in to liquid
3. Set on low and cook for 6-8 hours or until tender

Crock Pot Smoked Flank Steak

The only thing I regret about this recipe is the fact that I completely failed at taking attractive photos of it. Steak is a favorite in my house and when this sucker came out of the crock pot, Rich and I couldn't wait to get our hands on it. So much so that we ate most of it before I realized I hadn't yet taken any photos for my blog! I ended up taking photos of what was left on the cutting board. I think it demonstrates how tender the meat was. (wishful thinking?)

Attractive photo or not, this recipe is a fail-proof crowd pleaser that melts in your mouth. It's smoking without the smoker! All you need is a crock pot, a few simple ingredients and time to let it cook. Low and slow is the way to go! lol

Crockpot Smoked Flank Steak

makes 4-6 servings - prep time: 10 minutes - cook time: 6.5 hrs

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 cup liquid smoke
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 lbs grass fed Flank Steak (or smaller if you have a smaller crock pot)
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Instructions:

1. Pour olive oil into heated pan on stove top. Sear meat for 2-3 minutes on each side.
2. Place all ingredients (excluding meat) in Crock Pot and stir well.
3. Settle seared meat into the mixture in the Crock Pot making sure your steak is well immersed in the sauce.
4. Set Crock Pot on low heat and cook for 6-8 hours.
5. Remove and slice against the grain.

Crock Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken

After surfing the web for barbeque chicken recipes for the slow cooker and not finding anything that didn't call for bottled barbeque sauce, I decided to create my own. This recipe is super simple. Mix all ingredients in the crock pot itself. Add your chicken breasts and try to keep them as one layer. Cook for 6-8 hours or until your chicken falls apart easily. Shred with 2 forks and drizzle with leftover sauce.

For my first attempt at chicken in the crock pot I give myself an A+! Crock Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken was juicy and tender and definitely tasted like barbeque. I left out the cayenne pepper because my fiance is not a fan of spicy food, but next time I think I'll throw it in for a bit of a kick.  Enjoy!

Crockpot Pulled BBQ Chicken

makes 6-8 servings - prep time: 5 minutes - cook time: 6.5 hrs

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Truvia/Sugar blend
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
• 4-6 chicken breasts

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to the crock pot. Stir well.
2. Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the pan aligning them in one layer. Cover the crock pot and set on low heat for 6-8 hours.
3. After 4 hours have passed, flip the chicken over but be sure they remain as one single layer.
4. The chicken is done cooking if it pulls apart easily with a fork.
5. Put all cooked chicken in to a bowl. With two forks pull apart the chicken. Top with sauce that it was cooked in.

Quick and Easy Zucchini Lasagna for One

Ever since having the real thing [homemade Lasagna] at Rich's Mom's house for Sunday night dinner last week, I've been craving another slice of heavenly Italian goodness. Only problem is Lasagna is a meal you can only have a few times a year. It's just so heavy and so full of calories - but oh-so-good you can't stop eating. Before you know it, your stomach is full of Lasagna you didn't know you had room for (at least that's what happens to me)!

I've heard you can make Lasagna using Zucchini slices in place of noodles. I thought I'd take a stab at it and hopefully fulfill my craving. But then I thought, I need some meat in my Lasagna.

So then I thought about that fact that we eat turkey burgers almost daily at my house. They're quick and healthy - perfect for a busy schedule like mine. Rich usually makes my burger ahead of time that way when I get home from work or the gym I can easily pop it in the microwave. This gave me a great idea - use the already cooked turkey burger as the meat in my Lasagna, and use Zucchini as my noodles! Yum! So that's just what I did. I think next time I'm going to actually make a meat sauce of my own. Since I was cooking only for myself, I decided on a single serve option with little preparation required. This dish was delish and definitely satisfying.

Are you a Lasagna lover? How do you prefer to make it at home? Leave a comment below.

Quick and Easy Zucchini Lasagna for One

Prep time 15 minutes - cook time 15 minutes - makes 1 serving

Ingredients: 1 small 6-8 oz. can of regular tomato sauce 1 - 2 small Zucchinis sliced in to thin strips, like lasagna noodles 1/2 cup fat-free or low-fat Ricotta cheese 1/4 cup part-skim shredded Mozzarella cheese dash of salt dash of pepper dash of dried basil dash of dried parsley 1 - 4 ounce burger patty of your choice (or 4 ounces of cooked ground beef or turkey) Parmesan Cheese (optional - note: I was going to use this and totally forgot - bet it tastes good though)

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Add tomato sauce to a small bowl. Mix in salt, pepper, basil and parsley. Set aside.

Start by lining the bottom of a small, single portion casserole dish with zucchini. Try to cover as much of the bottom as possible. Then add a layer of Ricotta cheese and a small amount of Mozzarella cheese. Cover with a layer of tomato sauce. Crumble the burger and layer on top of that. Repeat the layering and top off your Lasagna with the rest of the Mozzarella cheese.

Place casserole dish on cookie sheet in case you get any spillover. Place in the oven and back for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Let cool for 5 minutes before digging in. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts Per ServingCalories 550, Calories from fat 184, Total Fat 21g, Sat. fat 12g, Trans fat 0g, Cholesterol 130mg, Sodium 213mg, Total Carbohydrate 36g, Dietary Fiber 8g, Sugars 20g, Protein 60g, Iron 5.2mg Source: Nutritiondata.com

Healthy Stuffed Cabbage

A Jewish staple, stuffed cabbage is a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth pocket full of goodness that's loaded with equally as sinful calories. Whenever Rich and I go to Zan's Kosher Deli in Lake Grove, NY we share this fantastic meal. My mother gave me her old Vermont Cookbook - a collection of recipes that belonged to the women of Ohave Zedek Synagogue and I decided to take one of their Stuffed Cabbage recipes and reduce it! A recipe redux! Keep in mind this was my very first attempt - even though it tasted amazing, next time I plan to tweak some things.

What's your favorite cultural food? How can it be tweaked to make it healthier?

Healthy Stuffed Cabbage

Prep time: 20 min. - cook time: 50-60 min.- makes 6 servings

Filling:

1 lb. Ground meat (I used 85% fat-free natural) 1 whole egg 1 medium grated yellow onion 1/4 cup oat flour (if you don't have oat flour, you can grind oats in a blender) 2 tablespoons artificial sweetener (I used Nectresse) 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2 tablespoons lemon juice

In a large bowl combine all ingredients.

Cabbage:

Place a head of cabbage in pot (remove core). Fill with hot water and cook for 10 minutes; drain. Pour cold water over cabbage; drain. Remove leaves. Fill and fold each leaf like an envelope. Then prepare sauce.

Sauce:

1 cup  tomato sauce 1 chopped yellow onion 2 tablespoons artificial sweetener (I used Nectresse) 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon sea salt dash of pepper 1/2 cup raisins 3/4 cup water (to cover)

Cook together in a heavy pan for 5 minutes. Place cabbage envelopes in sauce. If envelopes are not covered, add the rest of the can of tomato sauce. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes on medium/high heat. Reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes longer. Bake in oven at 250 degrees, uncovered, until brown.

Nutrition Facts provided by nutritiondata.com Nutrition per serving: Calories: 279, Total Fats: 13 g, Saturated Fat: 5 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 86 mg, Sodium: 676 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 23 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 10 g, Protein: 19 g, Iron: 2.9 mg

Not Your Mom's Beef Brisket

Rich and I moved in together just a little over 4 months ago when he returned home from Air Force training. Before that I had my own place, and he had his. We’d try to spend as much time with each other as possible and considering that my apartment was a super small studio, much of that time was spent at Rich’s house. He’d cook me dinner, or I’d stop over for lunch during the week. It wasn’t until Rich and I moved in together that I finally had the chance to cook for him. I know, hard to believe considering I cooked for myself a few times a week when I lived alone. But for some reason, it just never happened. The first time I cooked for Rich I made him a staple in any Jewish holiday meal – Beef Brisket and potato Kugel (pronounced koo-gle). Like any other Jewish girl, my mom has the best beef brisket recipe around. But since I’m a bit neurotic when it comes to healthy eating, I decided to cut down the calories and make her brisket my own way. Rich loved it and so did I!

Now, I cook Brisket as often as I can. In fact, Saturday night was the perfect night to cook dinner for Rich because he had to be at work bright and early at the Air Force base for a drill weekend. This time I made a top secret Quinoa recipe as the side dish.

You'll have to snag a copy of the January 2013 issue of Oxygen magazine for that one. But for now, try my Beef Brisket, it falls apart in the pot and melts in your mouth.

What's your favorite dish to recreate from your childhood? Do you cut the calories or make it like mom?

Not Your Mom's Beef Brisket

Prep time: 10 minutes - Cook time: 2.5 to 3 hours - Makes 4 Tender Servings

Ingredients:

1:1:1 ratio of all ingredients - 1-2 packets of French Onion Mix 1 cup reduced sugar Ketchup (or regular) 1 cup diet Ginger Ale 1 Brisket of Beef

Note: the size Brisket you purchase will determine the amount of ingredients you'll need. The sauce should cover the brisket in the roasting pan. So if you have a large Brisket you may need to double all ingredients. Look for top cut or single cut brisket that has very little fat and marbling.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl combine wet and dry ingredients. Whisk together. Place brisket in large roasting dish, pour sauce over brisket making sure the sauce covers the entire piece of meat. Bake at 350 degrees, covered for 25 minutes.

Remove brisket from pan and place on grooved cutting board (to catch the juices). Slice meat thinly against the grain then place back in the pan making sure all slices of beef are surrounded by the sauce. Cover and put back in the oven. Cook for 1 hour covered.

After an hour has passed, remove the cover from the pan and cook for another hour. Check to see if the meat is tender; if the meat falls apart easily then it's done. If the brisket is not tender enough, cook it longer.

Note: brisket is best if it's slow cooked. And if you're short on time you can easily begin the cooking process the night before. After the first hour and a half of cooking, take out the brisket, let it cool; cover it and place in the fridge. The following night heat the oven to 325 or 350 and continue cooking for the final hour. If dinner is not until later in the evening, lower the heat to 250 and leave the brisket in the oven until you're ready to eat.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving Calories 234, Calories from fat 49, Total Fat 5g, Sat. fat 2g, Trans fat 0g, Cholesterol 27mg, Sodium 2916mg, Total Carbohydrate 18g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 9g, Protein 22g, Iron 1.9mg Source: nutritiondata.com