Crockpot Pomegranate Beef

I made this for a dinner party and everyone really liked it. The cranberries and pomegranate make it very fall appropriate. It's a tart instead of sweet version of fruit and meat, which I'm a big fan of.

I'm linking to the recipe on Gluten-free Goddess. My only changes were doubling the recipe, using a much cheaper, pot roast type cut of meat like chuck roast, and cooking for 10 hours on low since I didn't cut the meat into serving pieces or brown it. If I made it again, I'd probably half the amount of balsamic vinegar used.

Crockpot Pesto Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

This was pretty good, but I didn't like how all the cheese fell off my chicken pieces so if anyone figures out a way to make them stay that would be wonderful. My husband isn't a big sweet potato fan, so I'd probably do half sweet and half regular baked potatoes when I make this again.

I'm just going to link to the A Year of Slow Cooking post where I got the recipe.

My change:

I used pecan as the nuts in the pesto since I have a pecan tree and a ton of nuts.

Salmon Stuffed and Smothered in Cream Cheese and Spinach

My husband asked if I can make fish this way all the time. I'd say it was a hit, plus it's really simple to make.

2 lbs salmon

1 package cream cheese

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup spinach, packed tightly

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Place cream cheese, garlic, salt and pepper, and spinach in food processor and blend until smooth. Spread baking dish with olive oil or other oil. Cut pocket(s) into salmon, and stuff cream cheese mixture into pockets. Smother remaining mixture on top of salmon. Bake 20-30 minutes or until salmon flakes when you twist a fork in it.

Serves 4-6.

Crockpot Cherry Chicken

I'm significantly adapting Rachael Ray's Tangy Cherry Chicken for crockpot and our preferences.  It's good and not really sweet since the cherries are unsweetened.

6 chicken breast halves

3-4 scallions, chopped

1 1/2 cups wine

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups cherries, pitted (fresh or frozen)

2 tbsp thyme

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ginger

salt and pepper

Place onions at bottom of crockpot. Rub chicken with spices and place in crockpot. Pour cherries, wine and broth on top. Cook for 6-7 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.

Serves 6

Crockpot Harvest Stew

This recipe is from a great slow cooker blog, A Year of Slow Cooking. I love her recipes and I've made quite a few. I just going to link to the recipe and comment.

D and I both really liked this stew. The only changes I made were not adding the beans since my Crockpot is only 5 quarts and using turkey tenderloins (same amount of meat). It was in the fridge before hand so I cooked it on high for 7 hours.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Spaghetti Sauce

I use this spaghetti sauce recipe for spaghetti and lasagna. This recipe is based on what my parents make. It can be made either as a meat sauce or plain tomato (which I use for spaghetti and meatballs).  The plain sauce or with turkey is endo diet friendly.

4 cups homemade tomato sauce or 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce and 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 cup wine (I use white wine)

1/2 to 1 whole onion (depending on how onion-y you like your sauce), diced

5-6 cloves of garlic, diced

basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram (I don't actually measure it but you probably need at least 1/2 tbsp-1 tbsp dried of each)

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil (if you are not making meat sauce)

1 1/2 lbs ground beef or turkey (for meat sauce)

Heat a large pan over medium heat. If you are making meat sauce, add the ground beef or turkey and brown throughly. For plain sauce, add the olive oil to the pan. Add the onions and garlic and saute for about 6 minutes or until onions are tender. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (if using), tomato paste, wine (you can just pour it in the empty tomato paste can to measure) and spices. Let bubble then reduce heat. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Taste about 20 minutes into simmering for spices and add more as necessary. Use for spaghetti or lasagna.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Lasagna

I make my lasagna without ricotta cheese because that's how my parents made it.

Spaghetti Sauce (I use meat sauce for this)

2 cups shredded Italian 5-cheese blend

2 cups shredded Mozzerella

1 package of lasagna noddles

Optional: 1 zucchini, sliced into circles

Boil the lasagna noodles as directed on package, if necessary. Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the pan or casserole dish (depending on the size of your dish this recipe makes 1 9x13 pan or 2 smaller pans). Alternate layers of noodles, sauce, (zucchini) and cheese. Top with the remaining cheese. You can refrigerate for a day before cooking if necessary. Bake 350 for 30 minutes uncovered plus an additional 15 minutes covered (30 minutes if previously refrigerated).

Makes 6-8 servings