Slow Cooker Baked Beans

I really like baked beans, and have been looking for a slow cooker baked bean recipe for forever.  Forever.  I wanted a recipe that was made from scratch...no canned or prepared beans involved.  I found this recipe on Chow.com, and I love it.  It uses dried beans, which means you have to soak them, so the preparation takes a bit longer, but it is worth it.  I changed just a couple of minor things from the original recipe, and I absolutely love the result.  You could also easily change up the flavors.  Want sweeter baked beans?  Increase the brown sugar just a bit.  Or try substituting dark beer or bourbon for some of the water.  Add some chipotle chiles (or chipotle chile powder) for a little extra kick.  You can totally make these beans your own.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

1 pound dried navy beans

Water for soaking the beans

8 ounces thick-cut bacon slices (about 6 slices), cooked and diced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup dark molasses

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Pour beans onto the counter (a little at a time) and pick out any rocks or stones.  Place the picked through beans in a large bowl.  Fill the bowl with cold water about 3 inches over the beans.  Allow the beans to soak uncovered at room temperature for at least 8 hours, or overnight.  Drain the beans.

Place the beans, bacon, onion, and 2 1/2 cups of water in the slow cooker.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt, black pepper, and cloves.   Pour the ketchup mixture into the slow cooker and stir until well combined.  Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for about 12 hours or high heat for about 6 hours, until the beans are tender.  Liquid will thicken as it cools.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Chicken Barley Chili

I have another soup for you today.  Well, chili actually.  I love this hearty and delicious chili.  It is a little bit different than your normal chili because this one has barley in it.  I actually found this recipe on the back of the barley box.  I love it!  I love the slightly firm but chewy texture that the barley gives.  It might sound odd, but it works extremely well.  An added bonus, is that this is a very healthy chili and is not high calorie (as long as you watch the sour cream and cheese garnish!).  I also think that this combination would be good in a white chili.  Something to think about for the next time I make this.

Chicken and Barley Chili

4 cups water

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth

1 (16 ounce) jar salsa (Chipotle is delicious)

1 cup Medium Barley

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained

3 cups (about 1 ½ lbs) chopped cooked chicken breast

Sour cream, for topping, if desired

Shredded cheese, for topping, if desired

In a 6 quart saucepan combine the water, tomatoes, chicken broth, salsa, barley, chili powder, and cumin. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beans, corn, and chicken. Increase the heat to high until the chili comes to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, or until heated through and barley is tender.  Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese, if desired.  Makes about 11 cups.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Pasta Bean Soup

I am not the best soup maker of all time.  In fact, I am a little bit intimidated by soup.  I think that is because I rarely make soup.  Rarely ever make soup.  This is sort of problematic because my family frequently desires soup for dinner, and I have had a couple of unfortunate fails.  As such, I have decided to expand my soup repertoire by making soup for dinner one night every week.  This is a pasta bean soup from Taste of Home.  It is hearty and delicious.  You can adjust the spice by adding more or less chipotles.

Pasta Bean Soup

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth (about 4 cups)
3/4 cup uncooked small pasta shells
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
2 cans (15 ounces each) white kidney beans, drained
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
Parmesan cheese, shredded or shaved, for garnish if desired

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until translucent.  Add the chicken broth, pasta, sugar, Italian seasoning, and chopped chipotle chilis.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender.  Stir in the white beans and crushed tomatoes.  Continue cooking until heated through.  Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.  Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Mexican Pizza

I have a great pizza recipe for you!  This was another absolute hit at my house the other night.  Beans, seasoned ground beef, Mexican cheese, lettuce and tomato make give this pizza a delicious Mexican flavor.  My oldest hungry puppy said that this Mexican pizza was better than the one she had at our favorite Mexican restaurant!  High praise, indeed!  

Mexican Pizza
Pizza dough (homemade like this one, or store bought)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 to 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans
8 ounces Mexican melting cheese, shredded ( I used La Morenita Authentic Mexican Melting Cheese)
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomato

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Grease a pizza pan.  Set aside.

Brown the ground beef.  Drain off any grease, then stir in the chili powder, taco seasoning, and water.  Simmer over medium-low heat until the water has almost cooked away.  Meanwhile, mash the pinto beans.

Roll out the pizza dough to fit the prepared pan.  Spread the beans over the unbaked crust.  Spoon the meat over the beans.  Sprinkle the cheese over the pizza and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly.  
Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle the lettuce and tomato over the top. Makes 1 pizza, about 8 slices.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

These simple burritos are full of hearty ingredients tucked inside a soft-crispy tortilla.  They are a fun spin on regular soft burritos or wraps.  You can serve them either warm or cold, whatever strikes your fancy.  If you want to serve them warm, simply warm the filling in the microwave before filling the tortillas, as cooking them in the pan will  not heat them all the way through.


Chicken and Black Bean Burritos


1 cup cooked rice
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can sliced olives
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup salsa
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheese (cheddar, monteray jack, colby jack)
6 Tablespoons sour cream
6 burrito size flour tortillas


In a large bowl, combine the rice, shredded chicken, black beans, olives, chili powder, salt, and salsa.  Stir together until well combined.  Warm the chicken mixture gently in the microwave until it is heated through.  Spread each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of sour cream.  Sprinkle cheese over the sour cream, then spoon the chicken  mixture down the center of each tortilla.  Roll up each tortilla, tucking in the ends.  


Place 2 burritos in a large skillet or on a griddle over medium-high heat.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until the tortilla is golden brown and crispy.  Makes 6 burritos.


Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Southwest Barbecue Pizza

Usually the pantry of the average college student isn't too advanced to begin with. Add a few weeks of not going to the grocery store to that, and the situation becomes pretty grim. Scrounging and scraping around in the pantry for every last scrap of edible material, our average college student probably doesn't even know what he is ingesting. Luckily for us, I am not an average college student and I definitely do not have a typical college student pantry. However, I haven't been to the grocery store in a very long while, so my situation today was a little bit grim. But out of the darkness comes the light! And so it did, my friends. So it did.

I was feelin' something slightly spicy, mostly healthy, and not too heavy. Looking through my pantry, I spotted some corn and beans. And that's when the light went off. I hurriedly snatched the corn, black beans, and mushrooms and dashed to the kitchen. I tossed them all together, added a little of this, a little of that, threw it on a crust and BAM! Southwest Barbecue Pizza. The crust (a KAF recipe, and the best crust I've ever had) was perfectly light and chewy. The topping had a slight spice and smokey taste that blended so well with the various vegetables. The raspberry BBQ sauce lent a subtle sweetness and cut through spice while still enhancing all the flavors. This southwest pizza absolutely hit the spot and was perfect because I could tailor it to exactly what I wanted. I will be making this over and over and over!

Topping:
1 can Sweet Corn
1 can Black Beans
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 - 2 tsp Chipotle Powder
Oregano, to taste
Basil, to taste
1 Bratwurst or other Sausage of choice, cut into small bits.
1 small can Mushrooms
1 1/2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sweet Baby Ray's Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Crust:
2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
7/8 to 1 1/8 C Lukewarm Water*
2 T Olive Oil
3 C All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 tsp Salt
*Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.

For Crust:
1. Dissolve yeast in 2 T lukewarm water and a pinch of sugar. Let yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes until the mixture has bubbled and expanded.

2. Combine the dissolved yeast with the remainder of the ingredients. Mix and knead everything together--by hand, mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle--till you've made a soft, smooth dough. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take 4-5 minutes at 2nd speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. Don't over-knead the dough; it should hold together, but can still look fairly rough on the surface.

3. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow it to rise till it's very puffy, about 90 min.

For Topping:

Combine corn, beans, and chopped onion in a medium-sized bowl. Add salt, chipotle, oregano, and basil. Mix well. You may need to add more seasoning, depending on how seasoned you like your topping.

Assembly:
Roll dough out and place on pizza pan. Pour desired amount BBQ sauce on and spread to edges of dough, using a spoon. I like my pizza saucy so I add a little extra BBQ sauce. Next, pour filling over dough, spreading evenly. Top with mushrooms, bratwurst bits, then shredded cheese. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes until dough is cooked.
Yield: 1 large rectangular (Sicilian-style) pizza

Mahlzeit!
-Coriaunty