Crockpot Recipe: Low-Carb Meaty Mozzarella And Veggie Lasagna

Mmmm.... who doesn't love lasagna? If you're going low-carb, try this pasta-free version in the crockpot for a delicious, hearty meal without all the carbs - and all the work!

Meaty Mozzarella And Veggie Crockpot Lasagna
(Serves 6-8.)

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian sausage or ground pork or ground beef (or a combination)
1 jar (14 oz) pizza sauce
1/2 Tbsp garlic flakes
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 zucchini, washed and coarse shredded
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions: 

• Put the meat in a skillet and brown, then add the pizza sauce, garlic flakes, and parsley into the browned meat and stir to combine.
• Spray the bottom and sides of the crockpot with non-stick cooking oil.
• Put 1/2 of the meat sauce into crockpot and spread evenly.
• Put 1/2 zucchini and 1/2 spinach evenly over the top.
• Spread 1/2 of the cottage cheese evenly over the top.
• Top with 1 cup of the Mozzarella cheese.
• Spread the remaining meat sauce over the top, followed by the remaining zucchini, then spinach, then the cottage cheese.
• Cover with remaining 2 cups of Mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle all the Parmesan cheese over the top.
• Set crockpot temperature to LOW, cover and cook for 4 to 5 hours.
• Turn off heat, uncover, and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

Crockpot Recipe: Smoked Sausage & Kale Soup

As we mentioned Monday, kale is a great ingredient for the crockpot, as it stands up well to low, slow cooking, and keeps its flavor. It's also a powerhouse of health, and adds great taste and texture to sausage soups like this one. Packed with fiber, flavor, and tasty veggies, this soup goes great with a low-carb diet, and will keep you warm on a cold winter night!

Smoked Sausage & Kale Soup
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 regular (not baby) carrots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb smoked sausage or smoked ham, diced
12 cups chopped kale (be sure to trim off woody stems)
1 can (48 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) cannelini beans, drained rinsed (or 1 cup uncooked dry white beans, soaked 8 hours, rinsed and drained)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

• Put all ingredients in crockpot, mixing well to combine.
• Cover crockpot tightly, set temperature to LOW, and cook for 8 to 10 hours or until kale is tender.

Low-Carb Recipe: Crockpot Smoky Chicken Barbecue

Another popular dish that you may not think of using the crockpot for is barbecue chicken. This is a great way to make this classic dish even easier, and the smoky sauce is tangy rather than sweet. This recipe replaces traditional barbecue sauce (typically high in carbs) with smoked paprika, crushed tomatoes, and vinegar, giving the same flavor profile without all the sugar and carbs.

Crockpot Smoky Chicken Barbecue
(Serves 6-8.)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
8 organic or naturally raised chicken pieces, bones and skin removed
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

Directions:

• Put the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Add chicken pieces and toss with the dry spices until coated well.
• Put onion in crockpot, sprinkle the vinegar over, then pour the crushed tomatoes over the top.
• Arrange the chicken evenly over the top, then sprinkle whatever remains of the spices from the bowl over the top of the chicken.
• Turn crockpot on LOW, cover, and cook for 7 to 8 hours or until chicken is tender.
• You can serve your "BBQ" chicken as is, in whole pieces, spooning the sauce over the top, or you can shred it up and mix it into the sauce in the crockpot for a pulled 'pork' style. Serve in lettuce cups or on top of a bed of coleslaw for a low carb dinner.

Crockpot Recipe: Low-Carb Meaty Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are a great classic recipe that can be easily converted to the crockpot. Try this tasty low-carb version that uses cauliflower instead of rice. Packed with meat and veggies, this is a great recipe for even those who are skeptical about trying a low-carb diet!

Low-Carb Meaty Stuffed Peppers
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

6 medium-size green, yellow, or orange bell peppers
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 medium size onion, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups finely chopped raw cauliflower
1 cup finely chopped raw carrot
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 Tbsp dried oregano flakes
1 tsp dried thyme
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

• Prepare the green bell peppers by cutting the tops off (save the tops) and removing all the seeds and membranes. Set the peppers open side up into the crockpot.
• Put the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the chicken broth in a large bowl and mix, breaking up the ground beef and pork and making sure everything is combined well.
• Fill the peppers with this mixture, then set the pepper 'tops' back on the peppers. The peppers should be over-flowing with the meat mixture, so the top will just teeter on the top of the mixture, it won't fit down all the way.
• Pour the chicken broth into the crockpot around the peppers.
• Set crockpot to LOW, cover and cook for 7 to 8 hours, until peppers are tender and meat is cooked.

Crockpot Recipe: Sweet Curried Lamb

This delicious meal utilizes the ease of crockpot cooking to make a complex and flavorful dish very simple to prepare. Rich lamb pairs well with the sweetness of apples and raisins, kicked up into something special with curry and spices. Put this in the crockpot in the morning, and enjoy this ethnic dish at the end of a long day, without having to spend hours standing over the stove. Just steam some rice and you're ready to eat!

Sweet Curried Lamb
(Serves 6-8.)

Ingredients:

Lamb curry (Photo credit: pelican)

2 lbs lamb meat, cubed
2 medium onions , diced
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
3 Tbsp golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts, any mix you like
1 1/2 cups apple juice
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
1/8 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

• Put onion, apple, raisins, nuts, and lamb in crockpot, in that order.
• In a separate bowl, put the remaining ingredients, whisk, then pour evenly over the ingredients in crockpot.
• Cover and cook at LOW for 8 to 9 hours. Stir once half way through cooking.
• Serve over hot cooked rice.

Recipe: Crockpot Jambalaya

Use your slow cooker to make this classic Cajun recipe even easier! Just brown the meat, then add everything to the crockpot, cover, and let cook until done - voila - dinner!

Crockpot Jambalaya

Ingredients:

Jambalaya with chicken, sausage, rice, tomatoes, celery, and spices. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 large onion, diced small
1 large green bell pepper, diced small
2 celery stalks, diced small
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 lb chicken meat, diced
1 lb pork sausage
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 reg can tomato paste
1 reg can stewed whole tomatoes
1 reg can tomato sauce
1-1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cups uncooked rice
1 lb small to medium shrimp
1 box (10 oz) frozen corn, thawed
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp butter

Directions:

• Put chicken & sausage in a large skillet, add oil, and cook over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked and sausage is no longer pink.
• Add the garlic and cook, stirring until garlic is just fragrant.
• Add chicken, sausage, onion, pepper, celery, tomatoes, paste, sauce, and uncooked rice to large crockpot. Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the pot, stir thoroughly.
• Cover and cook for 6 hours on Low or until rice is tender.
• Add in the shrimp, corn, brown sugar, cayenne, salt, black pepper, and the butter, stir to combine and cook until shrimp is pink and cooked thoroughly; about 20 minutes more.
• Serve hot in bowls with crusty bread and a green salad.

Recipe: Beef Pozole Stew

Pozole, or hominy, is a common staple in Southwest cooking. Cheap and versatile, it's mild corn flavor lends itself well to many classic Southwest dishes, such as this one - a variation of which was often eaten by cowboys around the campfire in the old Southwest. It can be made either on the stovetop or in a crockpot. (The crockpot variation instructions are shown in parentheses.)

Beef Pozole Stew

Ingredients:

Pozole! (Photo credit: sea turtle)

1 Tbsp high-heat cooking oil
2 pounds lean beef, cubed small
1/4 cup cilantro
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 oz tomato paste
15 oz stewed tomatoes
1 can (29 oz) white hominy (pozole)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy Dutch oven until hot, add the beef and sear quickly until browned nicely.  
2. Turn heat down to low and add to the skillet the cilantro, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic and cook gently until the beef is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. (If using a crockpot, add just the onion and garlic to the beef and cook until vegetables start to soften. Then add mixture to crockpot and add other ingredients.)
3. Now add to the Dutch oven the tomato paste, tomatoes and hominy. (Add these to crockpot with the other ingredients and mix well.)
4. Continue to cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Be sure to stir often. You can add some water if the stew is too thick. (Cover crockpot and cook on low about 4 hours.)
5. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.  Serve hot in bowls.

Find More Delicious Southwestern Recipes Here:

American Indian Cooking: Recipes from the Southwest, by Carolyn Niethammer
In this 191 page book you'll discover some of the culinary traditions that the Indians of the Southwest used to make. You'll find 150 authentic recipes like yucca hash, hominy and so much more.

The Food of Santa Fe: Authentic Recipes from the American Southwest, by Dave Dewitt & Nancy Gerlach
In this 144 page book you will find some of the most delightful, authentic traditional dishes of New Mexico. Not only does this book provide recipes for you, it also gives you some geographical and historical context as well.

The Southwest Table: Traditional Cuisine from Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, by Dave DeWitt
Enjoy a taste of the American Southwest in this 288 page book. This book provides almost 200 recipes of exquisite cuisine from Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. Not only does the author provide you with all these recipes, he provides some cooking terms and ingredients that are specific to Southwestern cuisine.

   

Recipe: Crockpot Chili Beef Tamales

This new twist on a classic Southwestern dish takes the work out of the tamale. With the tasty tamale flavors of corn, beef, chili & cheese, this dish is a snap to make. Simple, delicious, and easy, this one will have everyone coming back for seconds!

Crockpot Cornmeal Chili Beef Tamales

Ingredients:

1 pound lean grass-fed ground beef
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 egg, beaten
15 oz corn
15 oz tomatoes, diced
1 envelope of chili seasoning mix
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1.  Over medium-high heat, brown the beef and then drain off the fat. 
2. Add all the ingredients to the crockpot except the cheese. 
3. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour then turn down to LOW and continue cooking for 3 more hours. 
4. Add the cheese and cook for 5 more minutes just to melt the cheese.

For more great Southwest recipes, check out The Border Cookbook: Authentic Home Cooking of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico, by Cheryl & Bill Jamison.

This collection of 300 flavorful recipes is sure to whet your appetite. From salsa, fajitas, enchiladas, and pinata pollo - just to name a few - this book provides you with delicious American Southwest border cuisine.

Recipe: Warm Spiced Lamb With Chickpeas And Kale

While Indian food is often vegetarian, chicken and lamb are the two most commonly used meats. Relatively small and easy to raise, and not forbidden by religion, lamb adds rich meaty flavor to many Indian dishes, including this delicious crockpot curry-like stew. Warm spices like turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger make this a great recipe for a cool fall or winter evening!

Warm Spiced Lamb With Chickpeas And Kale
(Serves 4.)

Ingredients: 

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lb lamb, diced cut into 2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium golden potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger or 1 tsp grated ginger root
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cans (15 oz size) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 bunch kale, stem removed and coarse chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lemon, juiced
garnish with fresh chopped mint

Directions:

1. In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil and lamb and brown lamb quickly, then put in crockpot.
2. In same skillet, add the onion and garlic and cook just for a minute or so until onion starts to soften slightly, then put in crockpot.
3. Add remaining ingredients (EXCEPT lemon juice and mint) to crockpot.
4. Cook covered on LOW for 6 to 7 hours.
5. Sprinkle lemon juice and mint over individual servings.
6. Serve hot with warm naan bread to mop up the delicious sauce.

Recipe: Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala

This classic Indian recipe gets a simple new twist with easy crockpot preparation. It may contain a lot of different ingredients (mostly spices), but once you combine most of them in your slow cooker, you can leave it for the day, and have a delicious Indian dinner ready for you when you return. A little initial prep time gives you an amazingly flavorful and delicious result!

Chicken Tikka Masala
(Serves 6-8.)

Chicken Tikka Masala (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp grated ginger root
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 can (28 oz) tomato puree
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
6 chicken breasts, bone and skin removed, then diced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
garnish with chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, stir together the first 16 ingredients.
2. Add the chicken and stir again to combine and coat the chicken well.  
3. Pour mixture into crockpot, cover, and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours.
4. 30 minutes before ready to serve, put heavy cream and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk together, then add to mixture in crockpot and stir gently; continue cooking for 30 minutes.
5. Serve hot garnished with fresh cilantro.

Find More Simple & Delicious Indian Recipes Here:
   

Recipe - Smoky Chipotle Chili with Maple Ham

Here is one I came up with last week. It's easy, hearty, and SO delicious! Feel free to modify to suit your spice preferences. I left it pretty simple to let the maple and chipotle flavors shine through, but if you wanted to add other spices you could. The ham I made the night before, and used the leftovers for this chili. I got a natural-cured ham steak in my CSA share, and when I asked what to do with this, the lady who runs the CSA suggested I bake it in the oven with maple syrup. So I smothered it with maple syrup and baked for about 30 minutes. I ate part of it with a green salad and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, and it was really delicious, but there is only so much ham I can take, so I diced the rest of it up, and added it, along with the maple syrup drippings, to this dish that I threw together the next morning in the crockpot. It turned out to be one of my favorite ham dishes ever!

Smoky Chipotle Chili with Maple Ham (serves 4-5)

Ingredients added to crockpot.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb diced natural/organic ham + 1/4 c. maple syrup (may be baked together ahead of time to deepen the flavor, but you don't have to)
1 1/2 c. dry pinto beans (soaked, rinsed, and drained)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 canned chipotle chili, minced, + 1 spoonful of adobo sauce from the can
Water

Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Add water until just barely covered.
2. Cover crockpot and cook on Low for 12 hours (or High for 7-8 hours).
3. Serve with steamed greens, cornbread, and a light refreshing beer (if desired).
4. Enjoy!

Note: This dish is pretty spicy. If you wish to reduce the spice some, use only part of the chipotle, or omit the adobo sauce.

Yum, yum, yum!