As the leaves begin to fall from the trees and the air outside turns brisk, people begin to crave warm, hardy meals. These meals can be very time consuming and laborious, but they don’t have to be! Utilizing your crock pot will allow you to spend your time with things other than cooking and still provide you with a robust homemade meal. Following are some quick crock pot recipes ideas that are sure to delight your entire family:
Winter Meals With Chicken
Crock pot chicken recipes are healthy and delicious. Many people forget about chicken when they think of using your crock pot, but cooking chicken dishes is simple. You have the option of cooking a whole chicken, cut-up chicken or chicken pieces with or without the bone. Chicken should usually be placed in raw to make sure it stays tender and juicy, but you can pre-cook if you are really pressed for time. Be careful not to overcook if you decide to brown the chicken in a skillet first or the meat may become dry and/or tough.
No matter what chicken recipe you plan to use, consider marinating the chicken first. This will add extra flavor to your dish with minimal effort. Try taking your whole chicken or chicken parts and putting in a sealed baggie filled with Italian dressing over night to create a delectable main course that tastes like you spent hours slaving in the kitchen. Add the marinade to the crock pot with the chicken when you cook to create a more intense flavor. Since a crock pot cooks slowly, you can always remove the skin from your chicken to make the dish low fat. If you get bored with chicken dishes, use other poultry to switch it up. Turkey, pheasant, and duck are great alternatives.
Winter Meals With Beef
Crock pot beef recipes are always a hit. Whether you use your crock pot to slow cook an entire roast or rack of ribs or whether you make a wonderful beef stew, you are sure to delight. Slow cooking beef will ensure it stays tender. Take your favorite oven cooked roast recipe and try it in the crock pot for meat that will melt in your mouth. If you are cooking on a tight budget, the crock pot will allow you to make fantastic dishes with cheaper cuts of meat because slow cooking will keep them tender.
If you are in a huge rush for time, buy stew meats that are already cut up. Forget buying stew in a can when you can create a homemade meal in almost the same prep time. Anyone can make a wonderful full-bodied crock pot beef stew. All you have to do is throw in your favorite vegetables (raw, frozen, or even canned), some cubed beef, and some vegetable or meat stock. Turn the crock pot on and forget about it until you are ready to ladle it out and eat!
To make the meat appear more attractive and to slightly speed up the time it takes to cook, you can lightly brown the meat in a skillet before adding to the crock pot. This will also cook out some of the fat in the meat making it healthier. To save even more time in the future, cook the largest roast you can fit in the crock pot. Divide it up and freeze half of it for an easy main course later. You can also cut up half to add in a soup or stew for a quick, easy meal later.
Winter Meals With Vegetables
Crock pot vegetarian recipes are simple and quick. Spicy foods actually raise body temperature, so consider zesty variations of your favorite soups and stews to make them perfect for cold days. Another way to make vegetarian crock pot dishes more robust is to thicken them with creamed soups and thickeners such as flour and cornstarch. You may also consider putting them in a blender after they have cooked for a nutritious lasting meal. Slow cooking is a perfect way to prepare raw vegetable and dried beans because it holds in all the flavor and vitamins without making the foods too mushy.
Most any soup or stew recipe can be easily converted to a vegetarian dish. Simply take out the meat and any meat product such as stock and replace it with protein rich legumes or meat alternatives such as soy and tofu. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy the flavor and nutrition of these dishes. Vegetarian crock pot recipes are a heart healthy option for all families as the main course or as an appetizer or side dish. If properly prepared and seasoned, you won’t even miss the meat!
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