Rich and Creamy Potato Soup

 

I do love a good bowl of soup on a chilly day and potato soup holds a special place in my heart because my mom made it a lot when I was growing up. While this version is very different from the one she used to make it is a wonderful hug in a bowl. This recipe is designed to go in small (1 ½ quart) slow cooker. If you don’t have one of these small slow cookers I highly recommend grabbing one at your first opportunity. They are so handy especially when cooking just one or two people. That being said I had one when I still had 4 kids at home and I used it often then too. Now I use it exclusively back then I used it for side dishes and desserts.

This soup comes out very rich and very creamy with not too many ingredients and not a lot of prep before the slow cooker takes over. Then about 6 hours in the slow cooker and a few minutes to do the final details and dinner is ready.

To begin we need to cook part of the potatoes, the recipe calls for 2 ¾ cups of cubed potatoes. The first step is to cook 2 cups of them in water until tender then to mash them along with their cooking liquid before adding them (water and all) into the slow cooker. This gives us the both the broth and the thickening for our soup.

While the potatoes are cooking add the rest of the potatoes,  the ham, veggies, and the seasonings to the slow cooker.

 

 

Once the potatoes are cooked and mashed and the butter melted in their liquid they are stirred in.

Finally add the cubed cheese to the top, put the lid on and set the slow cooker to low and let it do all the work for about 6 hours.

Once the 6 hours is up put the sour cream into a small bowl add a ladle of the hot soup broth and whisk these together. Then stir this mixture into the slow cooker and allow it to heat back up.

That is really all there is to this one. So easy but so yummy and so comforting.

You can find a downloadable/printable version of this recipe here.

Rich and Creamy Potato Soup

2 ¾ cups peeled, cubed potatoes (divided)

1 1/3 cups water

2 Tablespoons butter, cubed

2/3 cup cubed fully cooked ham

1/3 cup chopped carrot

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic minced

¼ teaspoon paprika

dash of pepper

¼ pound Velveeta, cubed

1/3 cup sour cream

In a medium saucepan cook 2 cups of the diced potatoes in the water until tender, about 10-15 minutes. DO NOT DRAIN!!! Mash the potatoes and their cooking liquid together.

Add the butter and stir to melt the butter.

 

Meanwhile place the remaining diced potatoes, diced ham, carrots, celery, garlic and seasonings in a 1 ½ quart slow cooker.

 

 

 

Add the mashed potato mixture to the slow cooker and stir to combine.

 

 

 

 

Add the cubed cheese to the top, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

 

 

 

After 6 hours put the sour cream into a small bowl, then whisk in a ladle of the liquid from the slow cooker. This will thin the sour cream making it much easier to incorporate it into the soup without breaking up the veggies too much.

 

Carefully stir the sour cream mixture into the slow cooker. Put the lid back on the slow cooker and give a couple of minutes to come up to temperature again. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.

 

 

Ladle into 2 soup bowls and enjoy.

Slow Cooker Chili

 

Since the weather is definitely getting colder here I am personally focusing more on comfort foods like soups, chili, stews, casseroles a lot of the time. One of the first to come to mind was chili so I thought I would share this recipe with all of you. This takes a lot of inspiration from the chili I made all the time when my kids were growing up. The main difference is this feeds two people not an army. I did some tweaking to the recipe to make it work in the smaller amount easily.

When we get to the ingredients you might be surprised by one of them, just take a breath and try it. You see I add just a tiny bit of baking cocoa to my basic chili. Not enough that anyone will taste even a hint of chocolate but just enough to get a rich deep flavor that will bring you back for another serving.

Now I have dozens of recipes for chili, some with meat some without. Some with beans some without. This one has both ground beef and beans so it makes a hearty meal.

A few things you should know about this particular chili, first it is middle of the road chili as far as spice level, not really hot but not too mild at the same time. You can always add some hot sauce when you to each portion to taste. Also it is a soupy chili since I always serve it over rice. That is my favorite way to serve chili and it makes for a filling meal that really sticks to your ribs. If you want a thicker chili cut down or leave out the beef broth from the recipe.

This recipe is sized to fit my 2 quart slow cooker. I do love to make chili in the slow cooker for several reasons on being it is a food that really benefits from the low slow cooking method, it just comes together so nicely. Also not having to do much to serve dinner at the end of a busy day is so nice.

 

Now since this needs at least 7 hours of cooking time at the low setting you will need to start in the morning. We start by cooking the ground beef and onion in a small skillet until the meat is cooked through and the onion is softened. Drain off any excess fat from the pan.

 

 

 

Then add the garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook just until they all become fragrant. By cooking the spices particularly the cumin you release more of the flavor and I find it infuses with the rest of the dish much better.

 

 

 

 

 

Then move the meat mixture into the slow cooker followed by the rest of the chili ingredients. Give it a stir, cover and cook it all day long.

 

 

 

 

At the end of the day put some rice in the bottom of your bowl

 

 

 

 

 

followed by about half of the chili.

 

 

Then top as desired,

You can find a downloadable/printable version of this recipe here.

Slow Cooker Chili

Chili ingredients:

½ pound ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

2 tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin powder

1 ½ cups beef broth (you can cut this down or leave it out for a thicker chili)

1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chili (like Rotel) with the liquid

½ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

red pepper flakes, to taste (I put in just a bit less that ¼ tsp)

Ingredients to serve the chili

2 cups of cooked rice

shredded cheese

chopped avocado

sour cream

chopped cilantro

In the morning cook the ground beef and chopped onion over medium heat until the meat is cooked through and the onion is tender. Drain off any excess fat from the pan.

 

 Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook just long enough that they become fragrant.

Pour the meat mixture into the bottom of a 2 quart slow cooker. Add the remaining chili ingredients and give the mixture a stir. Set on low and cook for at least 7 hours. 8 or 9 hours is even better.

When ready to serve place the rice in the bottom of bowls, top with the chili and top as desired.

Serves 2

Coconut Curry Chicken

 

Coconut Curry Chicken

 

 

This week I dusted off my slow cooker and made a wonderful pot of coconut curry chicken. I have to say I love pretty much all curries so I was excited to share this one with you all.

If you haven't eaten much curry this is a good one to start with because it is a really mild curry and all the ingredients are easy to get. If you are looking for a really pronounced curry flavor add more of the curry powder to the dish, that is what I plan to do next time. I liked this a lot but I do love curry and more curry in here will only make it better. When working out this recipe I was thinking of my friends that maybe aren't used to the flavors in curry but want to try it. This one is perfect for that.

While this is cooked in the slow cooker it is cooked on high for only 4 hours so it is perfect if you have a busy afternoon and still want to get a filling warming dinner on the table. The only things that need to be done last minute are cooking some rice (I used jasmine but any white rice will work great) and squeeze a bit of fresh lime juice into the curry and stir it in. This little pop of acid at the end just rounds everything out and gives a freshness that makes the dish its very best.

This recipe is designed to go into a 2 quart slow cooker. I love this size for small family dishes. And a bonus you can pick one up for around $10 most places. I will be posting a lot more recipes for this particular size slow cooker coming up.

The protein in this dish is some chicken thighs, you want bone-in thighs but pull off all the skin and cut off as much of the fat as possible. The bone adds so much flavor and while you can make this with chicken breast I feel the thighs just turn out more flavorful and more tender.

When you are ready to serve put rice in the bottom of 2 bowls and divide the curry evenly between the two bowls. Use as much of the wonderful broth as you wish.

So yummy and so comforting especially as the days start to get a bit chilly.

You can find a downloadable/printable version of this recipe here.

Coconut Curry Chicken

 

4 bone-in chicken thighs, skin and all visible fat removed

salt and pepper

oil

1 small onion diced

2 carrots, cut diagonally into ½” slices

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons grater fresh ginger (I use the stuff in the tube)

zest of 1 lime

1 Tablespoon curry powder (or more to taste)

2 cups cut up broccoli

1 can (about 13 oz) coconut milk

1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

1 teaspoon lime juice

2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Rice to serve (I cooked about ½ cup Jasmine rice for the 2 servings)

Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper and brown in hot oil in a skillet. About 3 or 4 minutes per side.

 

 

 

 Transfer to 2 quart slow cooker.

In same pan cook the diced onion and sliced carrots until onion softens. 

 

 

 

Add the garlic, ginger, lime zest, and curry powder and cook until fragrant.

 

 

 

 Add the broccoli and stir to combine.

 

 

 

 

 

 Transfer this mixture to the slow cooker with the chicken.

In a container combine the can of coconut milk and the sriracha sauce then pour over the mixture in the slow cooker.

Cook on high for 4 hours.

 Just before serving stir in the lime juice and stir well.

Serve in bowls over a bed of rice, sprinkling the cilantro over the top.

Serves 2

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

 

This week I have recipe to go into our slow cookers. I love to use my slow cooker all year round but especially when I can make a wonderful soup to enjoy on a cold day. The slow cooker I am using today is my 1 ½ quart Crock-pot. This size is my go to as far as slow cookers go right now and it's a handy size no matter what your family size. For the small household they are perfect for making soups, stews and many other things without the huge amount of leftovers that you would get with the larger size. For the larger household they are great for side dishes and desserts. I consider this one to be the best $10 I ever spent for my kitchen. 

 

 

When you are using a slow cooker it is important to use the correct size for the recipe since either being too full or not full enough effects the cooking time and quality.

So this recipe I was looking through some of the older recipes I had saved and never tried when I came across this one. I did have to make several adjustments to make it for a small batch cooking but I think it was well worth it. I love split pea soup and while I am not vegetarian I do enjoy having vegetarian meals often. I think this recipe would be really easy to make vegan too since the only ingredient that is not vegan friendly is the cream. I know there are many vegan friendly cream substitutions out there.

The mix of ingredients in this recipe really drew me in, I love sweet potatoes so that was a real win. More importantly I love soups that have spinach in them. I have to admit I was a bit nervous about the apple juice, I was afraid it might make the soup too sweet however I found this not be the case. The blend of flavors is so fantastic. I will say that I did add a couple of healthy splashes of my favorite hot sauce and I found the soup to then be perfect. Truth be told though I think that hot sauce improves pretty much all soups.

You might have to get up a bit early depending on what time you like to eat dinner. This soup needs about 10 to 11 hours in the slow cooker then another 30 minutes at the end to cook that spinach. Believe me when I say it is well worth the time and effort. You could probably prep your veggies the night before if you know you will be rushed in the morning but since there are so few ingredients there isn't much chopping involved.

Click here to access the printable PDF of the recipe.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

1 cup dried green split peas, rinsed, picked over and drained

1 cup cubed sweet potato

½ chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups water

¼ cup apple juice

1 ½ cups firmly packed cut up fresh spinach

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon dry dill weed

freshly ground pepper to taste

In your 1 ½ quart slow cooker mix the split peas, sweet potato, onion, garlic, and salt. Add the water and apple juice and stir again to combine. 

 

Set slow cooker on high for 30 minutes then turn to low and cook for another 9 ½ to 10 ½ hours. (If you can't do the 30 minutes on high that's okay but the the soup might take a bit longer to get cooked through)

Stir the soup. 

 

 

 

 

Stir in the spinach, cream, dill weed and pepper cover and cook for another 30 minutes at low. Taste and adjust the seasoning, I found I needed more salt at this point.

Serve in large soup bowls.

 

 

A good splash of your favorite hot sauce is optional but really tasty.

Makes 3 good sized bowls of soup.

Swiss Steak for One

This week I am sharing a recipe that has become a favorite of mine. I love how easy it is. It tastes great and it is made from things I have on hand all the time. (We'll talk about that in a moment) I also love that it is cooked all day in my 2 quart slow cooker, no last minute work on this one. Just serve it up with whatever sides you want and you have dinner.

First let's talk about that slow cooker though. I actually have 3 slow cookers in my house. The little one that I used for today's recipe is the newest addition, I've only had it a couple of years. It is a 2 quart size so perfect for cooking dishes for one or two people, or for cooking sides for larger groups. I also was very happy with the price since I paid under $10 for it and that wasn't even a sale price. My rule for slow cookers is the more basic the better. I don't want programmable features or any other bells and whistles. I want a simple control with off, low and high for settings. I find these are the slow cookers that last the longest and give the fewest problems. In case you are wondering the slow cookers are a 3 quart and a 6 quart I still use both of those on a regular basis too. All three are usually working for any holiday dinners.

Now about those ingredients that I said I have on hand all the time. The main ingredient of course is the piece of meat, in this case a small chunk of round steak. I like to keep a variety of meat cuts in my freezer so I have meat for meals. I always check the value packs and family packs of meat. Those are usually a much better price per pound than the smaller packages. As long as you properly wrap and freeze the meat it will keep for quite a while in the freezer. The secret is to wrap them air-tight and label them. With the round steak I simply cut the one large piece of meat into individual serving size portions (about 1/3 to ½ pound each piece)

I always have onions on hand as well as celery and tomato sauce. And I would hope everyone has some flour,salt and pepper on hand. And that really is all there is to the ingredient list.

I like to serve Swiss steak with mashed potatoes and a vegetable mainly because that is how my mom always served it. I am sure you can find lots of side dishes to serve with yours.

Swiss Steak for One

1 Tablespoon flour

dash salt

dash pepper

1/3 to ½ pound round steak

1 small medium onion, sliced (about ¼” slices)

1 stalk of celery, sliced

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a food storage plastic bag add the meat, seal the bag and shake to thoroughly coat the meat with flour. Set aside.

Place onion slices in the bottom of a 2 quart slow cooker. Add the meat, top with the celery and pour the tomato sauce over everything. (discard any remaining flour)

Cover and cook on the low setting for 8 hours.