CrockPot Lamb Vindaloo Recipe

Day 138.

Have I mentioned how much I like Indian food? I love the depths of the flavors, the different spice combinations, the lean meat, and the heat.

I have really been liking spicy things lately.

When we reach for a menu from the take-out menu drawer (that's not weird to have a whole drawer devoted to take-out menus, is it?) we pretty much always go for the Indian place that we have on speed dial in the cell phone and who nicely have stored the credit card number.

Because I've found when you want food, you don't want to have to dig around for the credit card number. You want to sit on the couch and watch the cake decorating competition on Food Network (again) and have food brought to you.

or! You could put on a huge ol' pot of lamb vindaloo in the morning before swim lessons, before the birthday parties, before the Home Depot trip, before the IKEA run, and before you're tired and cranky and don't want to do anything except for becoming one with the couch.

The Ingredients.

--3 lbs boneless leg of lamb (unless you can find lamb stew meat)

--2 T dried minced onion (or 1 medium yellow onion, minced)

--6 cloves of minced garlic

--1/2 t clove

--1 t ginger

--1/2 t red pepper

--1 T ground coriander

--1 T cumin

--1 t cinnamon

--1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

--2 chopped potatoes ("aloo" means potato)

optional:

--1 can tomatoes

The Directions.

I opted to throw in tomatoes to create a bit more of a vindaloo stew. And didn't make any other sides, other than having corn tortillas available for scoopers.

--carefully trim the lamb, and cut into stew-meat sized chunks

--toss in your crock with all of the dry spices and onion

let it sit overnight in the fridge. This could be optional, but having the meat soak up the spice flavor is a part of making a really good vindaloo.

In the morning, put your crock on the counter and let it warm up a bit. It's never a good idea to put a freezing cold piece of stoneware directly into the heating element. Because your stoneware might crack.

And then you will email me. And I will feel sad.

Ad the 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Toss in the potatoes and the can of tomatoes, if you are using them.

* If you are NOT using the tomatoes, add 1/2 cup of water. *

Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

The Verdict.

Very tasty! There wasn't quite enough spice for me. I think I'm going to be brave and put in a whole teaspoon of the red cayenne pepper next time. Or maybe 3/4 of a teaspoon.

The kids mostly ate the corn tortillas we had as dippers, but did pick a bit at the meat. If the meat is separated from the sauce and cut up, there isn't much of a kick at all.

Adam and I ate it for lunch the next few days in a row, and found that the flavors were intensified the subsequent days.

very yummy; and this dish hasn't any heavy cream, which is good, so then I can eat more sweets!

other fantastic recipes:

Thai Curry
Indian Curry
Indian Chicken
Vegetarian Curry
Thai Coconut Soup
Tomato Curried Potatoes
Indian Spinach with Potatoes

CrockPot Cowboy Stew Recipe

Day 197.

This recipe came from Headless Mom, and the second I read it I knew I needed to make it because I liked the name. I am excited to meet Headless Mom at the BlogHer conference in a few days to see if she looks in person the way that I have imagined her to. Probably not. I envision a Headless Horseman character, but instead of a pumpkin tucked under her neck, it's a Donna Reed-type mom with pearls.

Now we're all going to have nightmares...

but not over this stew. This stew is hearty and has a nice kick to it; real comfort food.

There are two ingredients pictures because I got a bit overwhelmed answering and reading email yesterday and forgot to put some stuff in there at first. You guys are so much fun. And a little bonkers.

The Ingredients.

--1 pound browned hamburger (can use turkey)

--2 cloves chopped garlic

--1 can tomato sauce

--1 can diced Italian seasoned tomatoes

--1 can corn, drained

--2 cans whole baby potatoes, drained (unless you can find a great big can of potatoes)

--1 can tomatoes with green chilies

--1 can Ranch Style beans (with the baked beans in the grocery store)

--1 cup water

--sliced jalapeno peppers for garnish (optional)

The Directions.

This makes a lot. Make sure that your crockpot is at least 5qts.

Brown the hamburger with the chopped garlic cloves on the stove top. Drain the fat. Let sit in the pan for a bit to cool.

Open all of you cans, and dump them into the crockpot. Drain the corn and the potatoes, but add the rest of the can liquid to the crockpot.

After adding all of the can contents, add the browned meat and a cup of water. Stir with a spoon to mix a bit.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5. Soup and stew tastes better the longer you cook it, so opt for the longer cooking time if you can.

Garnish with sliced jalapeno peppers, if desired.

Recycle your cans!

The Verdict.

I had never before bought canned potatoes, or the Ranch Beans, which intrigued me about this recipe. Headless Mom says that if you use "real" potatoes they will disintegrate in the crockpot. I believe she's right. These stayed perfectly oval in shape, and looked like baby dinosaur eggs.

I really liked the flavor of this stew. It reminded me of taco soup, but the flavors were more subtle. I liked the texture of the broth vs. the chunky ingredients.

The kids picked out what they wanted, and didn't complain. They really liked the beans, and thought the floating potatoes were cool. We will have this for lunch for quite a few days.

Adam and I both wanted a sliced jalapeno in each bite---they gave a really nice tangy spice to the meal.

Thank you, Headless Mom! We will definitely make this again!

Next year.

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Contest is still open! If you have left a comment on a different post to be entered, you need to go back and leave a comment on this post. The random number thingy-mabob is only going to be used on the actual contest post. Contest closes Friday, 5pm Pacific.

CrockPot Pizza Soup Recipe

Day 218.

This is really good! Really, really, really good!

My kids' new-best-friend, Mallory, emailed me this recipe, and I was eager to test it out.

One, because it sounded awesome, and two, because I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the name Mallory. My youngest was almost named Mallory.

After Justine Bateman's character on Family Ties.

The Ingredients.

--1 jar (14 oz) of pizza sauce
--3 empty jars full of water
--1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
--1/2 red onion, chopped
--1 cup sliced mushrooms
--1 cup baby tomatoes, cut in quarters (or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained)
--2 already-cooked Italian sausage (I used chicken Italian sausage)
--1 cup sliced pepperoni, sliced in quarters (Hormel turkey pepperoni is labeled gluten free)
--8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1/2 T dried)
--1 T dried oregano
--1/2 to 1/3 cup of dried pasta (if your pasta is tiny, use 1/3 cup. if it's big, do 1/2. I used 1/2 cup Trader Joe's brown rice penne)
--shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later)

The Directions.

Use a 5 or 6 quart crockpot for this recipe. Serves 4 hungry adults, or 2 hungry adults and 2 kids with enough leftovers to feed them all again.

Wash and prepare veggies. Dump them into the crockpot. Cut up the sausage into small pieces--I sliced, then cut the pieces in fourths. Add to crockpot. Cut up the pepperoni, add it, too. Add basil and oregano. Pour in the pizza sauce, and follow with three empty jars of water.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Everything in this is already cooked, so you are really only heating through and allowing the flavors to meld.

Thirty minutes before serving, add the dry pasta, and turn to high. My pasta only took 20 minutes to soften quite nicely.

Garnish/top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

The Verdict.

Absolutely delicious. This will definitely make it on the meal plan. Thank you so much, Mallory. You have a cool name.

Coconut Beef CrockPot Recipe

Day 225.

I bought some really cheap stew meat the other day, and played around with a few different coconut and curry recipes to make a coconut beef. I was concerned that the meat wouldn't tenderize as much as I would like--because I needed to cook it on high in 4 hours, instead of low for 8. I didn't need to worry. The meat was tender and infused with a great coconut creamy flavor.

The Ingredients.

--1-2 lbs stew meat
--1 yellow onion, cut in chunks
--1 can coconut milk
--1 juice from one lime
--2 T of butter (optional. I used it, but don't think it needs it next time)
--2 cloves chopped garlic
--2 tsp brown sugar
--1 tsp curry powder
--1/2 tsp ground coriander
--1 tsp cumin
--1 1/2 T chili paste (or 1-2 tsp red chili flakes)
--1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

The Directions.

I used a 6qt Smart-Pot for this dish. Anything 4qt and up will work.

If using, put butter into crockpot, and turn it on to begin to melt. Add meat, lime juice, and coconut milk. Follow with the onion and garlic. Add the brown sugar and all the spices. Grate the ginger. Toss meat a bit in the liquid and spices to coat.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8.

The coconut milk will be yellow from the curry, and will separate a bit. A quick stir will turn it all creamy again.

Serve over white or brown rice.

The Verdict.

I liked this a lot. So did the kids, Adam, and my in-laws. We will most definitely make this again. Although it looks like there are a lot of ingredients, don't be intimidated. Once you find all the spice bottles, it comes together really quickly. This can easily be assembled the night before. Like always, if you are going to use a crock straight from the fridge, let it sit on the counter for a bit to warm up before plugging in. You aren't supposed to "shock" the crock.

CrockPot Lamb, Olive, and Onion Tagine

Day 282.

I was given a copy of Nigella Lawson's "Nigella Express" last week, and have had fun flipping through it. One of the meals seemed quite easy to adapt to the crockpot, so I made it last night.

I was carded for the first time in way-too-many years, which was kind of fun (and embarrassing. I didn't have my ID with me because I walked, and there was a bit of awkward banter before the checker (who shared that she was 22) decided I was, in fact, old and decrepit.)

I found this neat blog while googling to see if there were reviews of this particular Nigella recipe.

The Ingredients.

--2 pounds lamb stew meat or leg of lamb cut in chunks
--1 head of garlic, peeled but intact cloves
--2 cans black olives, drained
--2 yellow onions, sliced in rings
--4 T capers (I thought this was too much. Start with 2.)
--2 tsp ground cumin
--1 tsp corriander
--1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
--1 750ml bottle of red wine
The Directions.

I used a 6 quart oval crockpot. It was pretty full, so I'd stick to a big guy for this dinner.

Cut the onions and put them into the bottom of your crockpot. Add the entire head of peeled garlic cloves. Drop in the lamb, and sprinkle the dried spices and ginger. Add the olives and capers. Pour in the wine.

Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours. I cooked our stew for 4 hours on high, then another 8 on low. Stew meat tastes better the longer you cook it.

Serve with mashed potatoes, polenta, or quinoa. Nigella suggests couscous.

The Verdict.

I actually just ate this now, and it's 5am. I didn't get my act together in time yesterday to eat it for dinner (we ordered Chinese), and I wasn't pleased with how the meat was still tough at 6pm. I liked the flavor, but I wouldn't recommend having it with coffee.

I assume Adam will enjoy this for lunch, and the kids will eat some of the meat if I rinse off the sauce. The sauce is a bit strong, and the capers packed a pretty powerful punch.

CrockPot Harvest Stew Recipe

Day 287.

Here is a cozy stew certain to warm you after a day of pumpkin-picking. Or after a day of spending $5 a pop for a corn maze, hay ride, pumpkin cannon, inflatable bouncer, pony rides, or kid-size tractors.
Or after a day watching other people pay $5 a pop for those things, and then deciding to get your pumpkins in front of the grocery store.

The Ingredients.

--1 pound lean ground turkey or chicken (I used chicken)
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--3 chopped garlic cloves
--1 can kidney beans, rinsed
--1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
--3 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
--1 acorn squash, peeled and chopped
--1 whole can tomatoes and chilies (rotel)
--4 cups chicken broth
--1/4 tsp cloves
--1/4 tsp all spice
--salt and pepper to taste

The Directions.

Use a big crockpot for this stew. I used a 6.5 quart eLume.

Guess what? I didn't brown the meat. If you are using extra lean ground turkey or chicken, there really isn't a need--the only worry about using beef or pork is the fat content. If you prefer those types of meat, or already have it on hand, brown on the stove top and drain before adding to the stew.

I used my mom's microwaving-the-squash trick for cutting the acorn squash, and it worked. It worked so well, I'm not scared to buy squash anymore. I microwaved it on high for 2 minutes. It sizzled and freaked me out, but it cut easily, and I used a paring knife to cut away the skin.

Peel and chop all of the vegetables, and add it to the crockpot. Break up the ground meat with your fingers and add it in. Dump in the kidney beans and the can of tomatoes and chilies. Add the broth and the seasonings. Stir well. It will look like there isn't enough liquid, but more will be made from the vegetables and meat. I promise.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. I cooked ours on low for exactly 8. It was perfect.

The Verdict.

My parents and brother ate this with us (well, the kids had toquitos), and we (the grown-ups) all liked it a lot, and had 2 bowls each.
Well, maybe my brother had only one bowl because he was going out to eat.
Anyhow, it was good.

Adam suggests next time using stew meat instead of the ground meat for a more-filling meal. He was pretty hungry a few hours later.

CrockPot Azorean Spiced Beef Stew Recipe

Day 309.

I got this stew recipe from my buddy Sean, and it couldn't possibly be any better. I love how I used many of the same staples in this as I do when I make traditional beef stew, but it tastes completely different due to the spices.

Sean used 2 pounds of beef, but I only used one, and stretched it with some potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes.

The Ingredients.

--1 lb beef chuck stew meat
--5-6 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
--2 potatoes, chopped in 1 inch chunks
--3 green onions, chopped
--3 cups beef stock
--1 cup baby tomatoes, cut in quarters, or 2 large chopped tomatoes
--1 cup baby carrots
--2 T kosher salt (1 used 1 T, but then added some more to taste near the end of cooking time)
--1/2 T red pepper flakes
--1 tsp all spice
--1 bay leaf
--1 tsp cumin
--2 cinnamon sticks

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart crockpot. Anything over 4 quarts will work just fine.

Put the meat into your crockpot. If you are using frozen meat, it's fine, just know it will take longer to cook and get tender.

Add the broth. Chop up the tomatoes, potatoes (ha, that rhymed!), green onion, and garlic. Throw it in.

Stir in the salt, red pepper, all spice and cumin. Float the bay leaf on top and add 2 cinnamon sticks.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for about 6. Stew tastes better the longer and slower you cook it.

The Verdict.

We ALL ate this! Hooray!

Very good stew. It has a fantastic cinnamony flavor, but it isn't sicky sweet or weird. It's just good. Very, very good.

I will be making this again. I like to buy stew meat in bulk, and it will be wonderful to switch up my stew repertoire.

thanks, Sean!

CrockPot Bean Stew Recipe

Day 311.

This could be vegetarian if I had vegetable broth in the house. I did not, so I used chicken broth.

My back is not feeling the best, due to a bend-and-hug that turned into a hug-and-hang. I'm typing this standing up. Every movement is taking more effort than I want, and I'm a wee bit cranky.

I didn't make it the store, and needed to make due with stuff we had in the house. I was certain that I had a bag of green lentils in the pantry, and was totally bummed to realize that the bag actually was filled with split peas. I used them anyway.

The Ingredients.

--2 cups split peas (or lentils!)
--6 cups broth
--1 can kidney beans, rinsed
--1 can black beans, rinsed
--1 potato, chopped
--1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
--4 sad looking green onions, chopped
--3 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
--1 cub baby carrots
--handful of broccoli (or other veggies you have lying around)
--1 tsp dill (to be different!)
--1 tsp kosher salt
--1/2 tsp black pepper
--1 1/2 tsp paprika


The Directions.

I used a 6 quart crockpot.

Chop up the vegetables to desired size, and throw them in the pot. Rinse the beans, and add. Add the split peas. Cover with broth, and stir in the spices.

Cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. Soup tastes better the longer it cooks.

The Verdict.

I had read somewhere that dill enhanced soups and stews and it was an under-utilized spice. I threw some in, and immediately regretted it, but decided to climb back in bed with the heating pad hope for the best.

I think the dill works. It tastes too strong if the broth isn't salty enough---so salt and pepper to taste.

Then you can eat it without feeling like you're eating the guinea pigs alfalfa hay.

My kids fished out the stuff they liked, but mostly ate Toquitos for dinner.

I had Advil.

I'm going to have a big bowl for lunch.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potato Southwestern Stew

I was playing in the garden yesterday and realized a bit before 2pm that I had forgotten about dinner, and scrambled to throw something in the slow cooker. This is a completely made-up clean-out-the-pantry meal. Wednesday is usually our leftover night, but I kind of ate all the leftovers in the house for lunch. oops.

The Ingredients.


4 frozen chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 2 inch chunks
1 (15-ounce) can baked beans
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (4-ounce) can fire roasted diced chile (a last minute brainstorm!)
1/2 cup pineapple juice (leftover from the Easter Ham)

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into your stoneware, and drop the sweet potato chunks on top. Add all the contents of the baked beans, tomato paste, and diced chile. Pour on the pineapple juice. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-8. Your stew is done when the chicken is cooked through and the the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.

The Vedict.

This is gross. Really gross. I think it's the tomato paste. I took a few bites to be a good sport, but could tell about 2 hours into it that this wasn't going to be a very good dinner. I thought maybe with some shredded cheese it could be palatable, but it just wasn't. The house smelled like burnt tomato stew, even though the tomato paste mixed with the pineapple juice and bean and chile liquid and there was plenty of moisture. It was just not good.

really bad.
really really really bad.

We ended up having McDonalds. I drove through in my slippers.

other memorable flops:

coconut chicken curry
fruit leather
bacon wrapped scallops
hard boiled eggs
roasted pumpkin seeds

Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon Recipe

This is an easy copy-cat (or sort of copy-cat) of Julia Child's famous Beef Bourguignon. I cut the butter completely, and simplified the spices, but the flavor is all there.

And, I have STILL not seen the Julie and Julia movie. I was all set to go with a group of friends, but then got another wave of all-day-I don't-know-why-they-call-it-morning-sickness and found myself glued to the couch on our planned night out. And then school started, and soccer started, and PTA started, and life got a bit complicated.

I will see it, though. I promise.

The Ingredients.
serves 6

3 pounds beef roast, or beef stew meat (I used a chuck roast I had in the freezer)
6 slices bacon--no need to cook (I used turkey)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced in rings
1 cup carrots (chopped or baby, your choice)
4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 tablespoon herbs de provence (here's a recipe to make your own)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste (not pictured, oops!)
2 cups red wine (you can use non-alcoholic if you wish)

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart slow cooker. In the bottom of your stoneware, smear around the olive oil. Then lay down 3 slices of bacon. Add sliced onion and garlic. Put the meat into the pot on top of the onion and garlic, and sprinkle on dried spices and herbs. Toss the meat to distribute the spices to all sides. Add tomato paste. Lay the other 3 slices of bacon on top of the meat, and throw in the carrots. Pour wine over the whole thing.

Cover and let cook on low for 8-9 hours, high for 4-5, or until meat has reached desired tenderness. If you are using a roast, you may want to flip the meat about an hour before serving so more liquid is absorbed into the meat. You can also cut the meat into chunks and return to the pot, if you would like more moisture to absorb.

Serve with whipped mashed potatoes, and a ladle full of crock juices.

mmm.

The Verdict.

We all really liked this a lot. The kids weren't crazy about the carrots, because they took on the wine flavor and were a bit tart, but Adam and I loved them like that. The meat had lots of flavor, and I was quite pleased with the amount of juice left in the slow cooker---it made an excellent gravy. I didn't try to thicken it up on the stove top with cornstarch or flour, but if you enjoy making gravy, I'd imagine it would be wonderful.

This is a company-worthy meal.

Slow Cooker Turkey Stew Recipe

I made the most delicious turkey stew over the weekend. I've never actually had turkey stew, so I don't know if it's the best that exists, but it's definitely the best I've ever had. And, since I used leftover food from Thanksgiving, it was free!

I'm kind of bummed Adam took the leftovers to work to eat for lunch, because now I'm forced to eat peanut butter on an apple-cinnamon rice cake. Again.

The Ingredients.
serves 8

There are two parts, here. The first part is to make broth with your leftover turkey carcass. If you don't have a carcass on hand, and would still like to make this soup, jump to the next step and use 8 cups of chicken broth and 2-3 cups chopped turkey.

for broth:
use a 6 quart slow cooker.

turkey carcass, or rib cage bone-sets from 2 turkey breasts
9 cups of water
2 tablespoons granulated chicken bouillon (read label carefully for msg and gluten, I used the Herb Ox brand)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (this takes the meat flavor out of the bones, and creates a beautiful color and flavor)
1 large onion, finely diced OR 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

cook on low overnight, or for about 8 hours. Unplug, and remove stoneware from cooking element. Uncover and let cool. When cool enough to "go fishing," remove all bones from broth, leaving meat inside the pot.

note: if your slow cooker releases a bunch of steam and condensation while cooking, put a layer of foil or parchment paper down over the top, then put the lid on so you don't lose your cooking liquid.

for stew, add the following:

2 cups peeled and diced sweet potato
1 (28-ounce) can diced or stewed Italian style tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 (15-ounce) can corn, and juice
4 cloves chopped garlic OR 1 teaspoon dried garlic powder

The Directions.

Combine all ingredients in a 6 quart slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until sweet potatoes have reached desired tenderness and flavors have melded.

The Verdict.

We all really liked this a lot. The girls were slow to warm up because they thought the name "turkey stew" was weird and didn't like that the broth wasn't clear, but I didn't offer them anything else to eat. When they finally tasted it, they happily finished their bowls. Adam said he liked it even better than our normal turkey soup, which is pretty high praise, since that soup is fantastic. I really liked the deep color and the sweet potatoes in contrast to the tomato base. This did not have any spicy taste, just lots of flavor.

Slow Cooker Smoked Sausage and Bean Stew

One of the best things about playing around with a slow cooker is the way you can literally "throw together" dinner without much effort or planning. I had great intentions of going to the store for a chicken, but the baby was sound asleep and her sisters were busy playing school.

and they weren't arguing.

Instead, I picked up the phone, dialed a friend, and started throwing stuff I already had in the pantry and freezer into the pot.

The only problem?

I was so busy chatting, I forgot to take an ingredients picture. I did jot down what I tossed in, though!

The Ingredients.
serves 6

1 pound smoked sausage, casings removed, and crumbled
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
2 brown potatoes, diced (no need to peel)
1/2 cup dried lima beans (no need to presoak lima beans)
1 tablespoon A-1 steak sauce (the secret ingredient!)
4 cups beef broth

The Directions.

I used a 6-quart slow cooker. My sausage was pretty frozen solid, so while I chopped the vegetables, I soaked the package in a sink full of hot water. When they softened enough to handle, I simply used a knife to cut off the casings, and crumbled the meat into the cooker. Add the lima beans, A-1, and beef broth.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the lima beans and carrots have reached desired tenderness.

Serve with a green salad and rolls. I made drop-biscuits from Pamela's Baking Mix.

The Verdict.

Easy and delicious! My sausage was mild in spices---it provided a smokey flavor infused with sage. If you use spicy sausage, your stew will be spicy. The A-1 gives the broth a fantastic color and a bit of a vinegary twang. mmm. Lima beans swell tremendously while they're cooked; 1/2 cup is plenty.

CrockPot Tex Mex Pot Roast Recipe

 

There's nothing like a big hunk of meat to warm you up on a chilly day. This is man-pleasin' food. My brother, dad, and Adam all ate big helpings. Although I only used 2 pounds of meat, the beans and the corn really stretches both the servings and the number served. 

The Ingredients.

serves 8

2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1 (15-ounce) can chili beans, undrained

1 (11-ounce) can corn with peppers, undrained

1 (10-ounce) can Rotel (tomatoes and chiles), undrained

* The can of beans pictured are the Bush's brand.  Amy pointed out that on Bush's website they say that their brand of Chili beans ARE NOT GLUTEN FREE. Please use a different brand (or use Ranch beans), and always read labels carefully and check with the manufacturer. The ingredient list looked absolutely fine to me, but I didn't take the second step of confirming with the manufacturer. I hate stuff like this. HATE it. Thank you so much, Amy.

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. This is a super simple dump and go recipe--my favorite kind! The meat was frozen solid when I put it into the cooker. The rule of thumb is that if your main ingredient is frozen, the other items should be room temperature or warmed slightly. This is according to Crock-Pot's website. If you have a different manufacturer, follow instructions and use your best judgment. :-)

After your meat is in, add the chipotle chile powder and all the canned ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 6. I like to cook it long enough that the meat falls apart--but you may take it out whenever it reaches your preferred desired tenderness.

The Verdict.

I served this with a baked potato (which you can totally do in the crock, if you are so inclined), to 5 adults and two children. The dishes were clean when I loaded them into the dishwasher...

woo hoo, success!