CrockPot Crunchy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Day 143.

I'm making my way through the garbanzo beans! Since the falafels turned out so nicely, I tried my hand at roasting garbanzo beans. I came across the idea while searching for falafel recipes, and knew that I needed to give it a try. The different accounts likened the roasted beans to corn nuts. I like corn nuts! I probably haven't had them in 20 years, but I still like them!

The Ingredients.

--2 cans garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed

--juice from one very small lemon (that lime-looking thing is actually a lemon; I've picked our tree clean)

--1 t kosher salt

-- 1/4 t cayenne pepper

The Directions.

I used a 6qt oval Smart Pot.

Drain and rinse your garbanzo beans, and dump them into the crockpot. Sqeeze on the lemon juice, and add the salt and the touch of cayenne.

Toss well to distribute the flavors.

Prop the lid open of your crock to release the condensation. I didn't feel the need to do so for the falafels, but these beans were awfully wet and slimy. I couldn't find the ONE chopstick left in the house (the kids "borrow" them for art projects. I guess they finally borrowed this one too.), so I used a wooden skewer. It worked well, and provided just a bit of a gap, which was nice.

cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the garbanzo beans have shriveled up and have a crunch.

I cooked this batch on low for 9 hours overnight.

The Verdict.

Oy. These are fun to munch on, are slightly addictive, and were super easy to make. Every once in a while I get a soggy-ish bean, but the crunch of the beans are nice. They aren't quite as hard as corn nuts, which is good for the thousands of dollars of dental work I've had done.

The kids are still sleeping, so I'll have to report back on what they think. My mommy-gut thinks they will think they look weird (I think they look like shrunken brains), but after a try will enjoy them.

Super Easy CrockPot Spaghetti Sauce

Day 185.

I have no idea why I waited so long to make this. It is so terribly easy, and I was able to get 3 very nice-sized plastic containers of sauce, which now live in the freezer. There isn't anything wrong with jarred sauce---I use it quite often, but there isn't much to brag about when you open a jar.

This? This you can brag about. "oh yes. Of course I make my own pasta sauce."

I kept this simple, and did not add a lot of spices, or even onion and garlic. I usually throw in onion and garlic whenever I make something using marinara, anyhow, and prefer the crunch when added freshly. But like a lot of what I do: There are NO rules. Throw in your favorite spices, and customize how you see fit. There are also no rules about the tomatoes. I used what I happened to have in the pantry at the time. Buy what's on sale, and have at it!

The Ingredients.

--1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
--1 15oz can of tomato sauce
--1 12.5 oz Italian flavored diced tomatoes.
--16 oz fresh mushrooms
--1 T Italian seasoning (and a bit more to taste when cooking is done)
--1 lb super lean ground turkey meat

The Directions.

Add the thawed (or fresh) turkey meat to the crockpot. Dump in all the cans of tomatoes, and break the ground meat up with a large spoon. Stir in the spices and mushrooms.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

When done cooking, break up the ground meat a bit more and season to taste. Jarred pasta sauce is awfully salty; I didn't add any salt, but your tongue might desperately want to.

Serve right away, or package for freezing.

The Verdict.

This is very tasty. I shared a bunch with my grandparents, who enjoyed it also. It has been rather warm, so I let this cook overnight on the counter in front of an open window. I'm sure the neighborhood dogs were quite happy!

The kids and I had a small bowl for breakfast. I loved that I didn't need to brown the meat, and that turkey meat is so lean that there was very little fat that floated to the top during cooking. If you decide to use a different type of meat, you can chill the sauce, and scrape off the collected fat.

CrockPot French Toast Bake Recipe

Day 216.

French toast! In the crockpot! While you sleep!

Life has just gotten even better.

Heather emailed me a french toast recipe that she has made a few times in the crockpot successfully. She points out that since she lives in Las Vegas, turning on the oven in 100-degree-weather is just not going to happen.

The Ingredients.

--1 whole loaf of bread (I made a gluten-free raisin bread)
--1 dozen eggs
--2 t vanilla
--4 cups of milk (1 used 3 cups of soy, and 1 cup of heavy cream)
--1/4 t salt
--2 t cinnamon
--1/4 cup brown sugar
--1/4 cup walnuts, or other desired nuts (optional. I did not use nuts this time.)

The Directions.

I used a 6 qt Smart-Pot Crock-Pot for this. I'd recommend a 5 or 6qt for this dish. If you have a smaller crockpot, scale back a bit. Maybe only use 1/2 a loaf of bread.

Grease the inside of your crockpot very well with butter, shortening, or cooking spray. Slice your bread into large slices (if it's already sliced, just dump it in) and place the bread into the crockpot.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla together. Pour on top of the bread.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. This is done when the bread has soaked up all of the liquid and the egg has cooked (you can tell because you'll see bits of cooked egg stuck to the bread). The bread will expand---it's like one of those spongy foam things that come in the capsules and turn into a dinosaur. Very cool.

After 8 hours, I had a bit of liquid left in the crockpot, but the bread on top was browned nicely and the egg was done. I took the lid off and went hunting for the camera, and then checked email, and then watered the garden. 30 minutes had passed before I remembered that I had left the lid off of the crockpot, and that it was still plugged in. BUT! all the moisture was gone and the french toast was perfect.

so there you go. I'd give that a try.

The Verdict.

Very good! We ate this for dinner, but I will most definitely make it again for a nice family breakfast or brunch.

Thanks so much, Heather!!

CrockPot Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Day 228.

In the past few weeks I've gotten a few different emails from fantastic people sharing their hash brown layered casserole breakfast concoctions. This is a combo of Melba, Mikell, and Alison's recipes.

We were ecstatic with the results. This is a keeper, and something you should definitely file away for a brunch or potluck get-together.

The Ingredients.

30 ounce package of plain frozen hash brown (shredded) potatoes
4 already-been cooked sausage, or leftover diced ham (I used chicken and apple sausage)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
12 eggs
1 cup skim or fat free milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart Smart-Pot for this recipe.

Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray. Dump in the whole package of hash browns. Spread them out with your fingers, and break up any clumps.

In a mixing bowl, mix the dozen eggs with the milk, salt and pepper, cheese, cut up sausage, and diced vegetables. Pour everything on top of the hash browns.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. This is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges start to brown a bit. If you want the cheese to brown and get a bit crispy on the sides, cook it longer.

The Verdict.

Delicious. Yummy. We've eaten this for breakfast everyday for the past three days.

Updated 2/28/09: I made this vegetarian this morning. I used 1/3 of a small yellow onion, 1 red and 1 green bell pepper diced, and 1 cup sliced mushrooms, chopped. I also upped the cheese to 2 cups. Since there isn't the additional flavor from the sausage, I increased the salt and pepper to 1 1/2 tsp of each, total.
I then cooked on high for 4 hours, then another 30 min with the top off to release condensation. It was wonderful.

more breakfasty goodness in the slow cooker

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Slow Cooker Mexican Breakfast Casserole

We went to a museum opening last weekend, and my brother's mother-in-law, Shari (hi Shari!) told me that she had a breakfast casserole with green chiles that I should really make. She said she'd email me the recipe.
This isn't her recipe. She hasn't had the opportunity to email hers, and I didn't have the patience to wait, or the perseverance to bug her.
so I made this up.

I think she'd like it.

The Ingredients.
serves 8, easily.

corn tortillas (I didn't count them. Maybe I used 8? 7?)
8 eggs
2 cups fat free milk
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (7-ounce) can green chiles, drained
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tiny onion, diced
1 cup corn (I had leftover fresh corn from the weekend, but frozen would totally work)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart round slow cooker. Butter or Pam the inside of your stoneware. Put a layer of corn tortillas on the bottom---you may have to tear some to make them fit nicely.
In a very large mixing bowl, combine all of the other ingredients, and whisk together. Pour about 1/2 of the mixture into the slow cooker, on top of the tortillas. Put in another layer of tortillas, and top with the remaining egg/milk/cheese/other stuff mixture. Top with another layer of corn tortillas.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. If your cooker seals well (my 4-quart has a plastic lid, and a lot of condensation builds up), uncover 15-20 minutes before serving and cook on high to release condensation and to firm up the top a bit. You know your breakfast is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges have begun to brown and the cheese gets a bit crispy on the sides.
Adam really likes crispy cheese---the kids do not.

The Verdict.

I loved this. LOVED it. The chiles were not spicy in the slightest, and Adam added salsa to his bowl. The kids picked out the "green stuff" but ate the rest just fine. I served this for dinner a few days ago, and have been eating leftovers for breakfast and lunch the past 2 days.

If you don't have corn tortillas in the house, or would prefer to go another way, you can pour the egg mixture on top of a bag of frozen hashbrowns, just like I did in this recipe.

If you have sausage or other meat you'd like to add, go for it, but take out the salt, and season to taste at the table.

other great slow cooked breakfasts:

hashbrown casserole
overnight breakfast casserole
overnight breakfast sausage and potatoes
egg, feta, and mushroom casserole
overnight grits
pancakes
granola

Basic Overnight Oatmeal Slow Cooker Recipe

We've hit September, which means school is back in session and it's early mornings and kids who need to be fed something (hopefully) substantial before leaving the house.

I've gotten a few emails about overnight oatmeal, and I've been experimenting. Because of the way the Internet is, I've figured out a VERY BASIC overnight oatmeal --- the oats are regular rolled and not "fancy" steel cut, and the oats are cooked in water, not milk.

If you want to change-up the water for cow's milk, or almond milk, or hemp, soy, coconut, lactaid, fairy, or unicorn milk: go for it! 

but water works, too!

The Ingredients:
serves 4-6

2 cups rolled old-fashioned oats (NOT quick cook) (I use certified gluten free oats)
4 1/2 cups water (or liquid equivalent)

The Directions.

Use a prepared (that's coated in cooking spray or butter) 4-quart slow cooker. If you only have a 6-quart, increase the quantities by 50%. You can freeze the leftovers in little sandwich bags, if you'd like.

Put the oats into your slow cooker and stir in the water. Cover, and cook on low for 7 hours.

Stir in the morning.

The result is creamy, bland, tasteless oatmeal. You can add stuff at the table: honey, sliced fruit, brown sugar, etc.

WHAT MY KIDS LIKE:

2 cups rolled oats
4 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix (1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 nutmeg, 1/8 cloves)
2 small granny smith apples, diced (I leave on the skin because I'm terribly lazy)

In the morning they sprinkle on a bit more cinnamon and they like sliced bananas, too. What they'd REALLY like is for me to let them add brown sugar, but I don't.

because I'm terribly mean, too.

The Verdict.

The rolled oats disappear and become porridge-like. There is no longer a chew to the oats --- my kids like this a lot because it's the most similar to the little packets of sugar-laden oatmeal.
This is a very easy way to get a hot breakfast on a busy morning. 

I played around with the timing for those who don't have a programmable slow cooker, and if you do low for 7 hours you will be just fine. If you sleep longer (I'm jealous), it'll just get a bit dried out on the edges, but you can easily fix that by stirring in some milk.

Enjoy!!

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