Cozy In A Pot

In our house, we eat whole, real foods at least 85% of the time.  Sometimes, OK, maybe twice a year I include something a little less favorable in the form of kielbasa.  Unfortunately I have not found (because it probably doesn't exist) a healthy version of kielbasa.  It's high in sodium and contains nitrates (like most lunch meat) but like most things, I think once or twice a year is probably not going to be the end of us.  So, with that said, I'd like to share this delicious cassoulet recipe which is perfect on a cold winter's night.  (If anyone has a substitution for the kielbasa, please share! Unfortunately I think its hard to get that fabulous smoky meat flavor without the evils of nitrates and nitrites.)  This recipe is a mix of a couple of recipes that sounded good to me and here's where I ended up...

OK, so I started with a cup and a half of sliced carrots.

About a cup, or one whole chopped onion comes next.

And of course, a giant parsnip.  I didn't measure it because I was going to use the whole thing no matter what.  I have a surplus of giant parsnips at the moment so I'm going to have to start fishing around for some more ways to use them.    

 This was probably about two cups chopped (the carrots and onions are in the bowl as well!).

We must not forget the garlic!  Never forget the garlic.  I used two cloves but one is huge so I'd call it three, minced.

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan.  Add the chopped veg along with 1 teaspoon or dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Cook over medium heat for five minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, rinse and drain two cans of great northern beans.

Add half of the beans to a large bowl and smash (I used the bottom of a glass to get the job done).

Trim and cut a 1 pound pork tenderloin into 1 inch pieces.  Chop 1/2 pound of smoked sausage into 1/2 inch pieces.

Add the meat and the rest of the beans to the bowl and mix well.

Once the veggies have softened add two cans of diced tomatoes to the pan.

Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

Add half of the meat and bean mix to the slow cooker, top with half of the veg mix and repeat.  Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.

Don't forget to build a nice salad to eat with the cassoulet!

Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese and some fresh parsley.  Enjoy, and stay warm!

Slow Cooker Cassoulet

1 Tbs olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups sliced carrots

1 1/2- 2 cups sliced parsnips

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

2 cups great northern beans drained and rinsed

1 lb pork tenderloin cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 lb smoked sausage cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add chopped veg and seasonings, cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse two cans of great northern beans.  Add half of the beans to a large bowl and smash until creamy but with some chunks remaining.  Add the meats and rest of the beans to the bowl and mix well.

Add canned tomatoes to the pan and bring to a boil, remove from heat.  Place half of the bean and meat mixture to the slow cooker, top with half of the tomato veg mixture and repeat.  Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.  Scoop into bowls and top with grated Parmesan and fresh parsley.

A Little Somethin' To Warm Your Bones

I'm not sure what kind of weather you're experiencing today but outside of my house it is pure yuck.  Its about 46 degrees, raining like crazy, windy, dark, yucky.  It's the kind of day that leaves a chill in your bones that's tough to shake off making it the perfect day for a hot bowl of soup that requires little effort (so you can maximize your time spent being cozy with your favorite people or pets watching football or movies or whatever strikes your fancy).  This recipe for Salmon Chowder with Dill is from Food Network Magazine.  It's a Crock Pot meal that doesn't involve a can of soup or an envelope of seasonings or any of those things that drive me nuts.  This is real food made super easy.

It all begins with some clam juice. The recipe calls for 3 cups of clam juice or chicken broth.  I used a combo of the two, more clam than chicken.  You put it in a bowl in the microwave and get it good and hot.

Get a pound of red skinned potatoes and dice them up.

Place them in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Chop two stalks of celery, I recommend chopping the leaves up too, they really add a nice flavor to any chowder, if you you ask me...

Toss the celery and and two sliced carrots in with the potatoes.

Next comes half of a white onion chopped and two cloves of garlic, minced.  Right into the crock it goes.

Now you gather up your fresh herbs.  This is dill, parsley, thyme and a couple of bay leaves.

Peel off a wide strip of lemon zest from a lemon...

find some twine...

and tie it together in a nice little bundle.

Place your bundle (of joy) on top of the veggies.

Pour in the hot clam juice, cover and cook on high for 3.5 hours.

After the 3.5 hours you'll get your fish ready.

Season one pound of wild caught salmon with salt and pepper.

Stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream into the Crock Pot...

and partially submerge the salmon.  Cover and cook for 30 more minutes.

Chop a little more dill and some green onion for garnish.

This is the perfect time to throw a salad together.

Now you go enjoy that nice soup and salad on a bone chilling fall day! Click here for the full recipe.

Mmmm Beer Gravy....

Okay, so it's been over a week since I've wanted to share this recipe.  I have about five reasons as to why I'm just getting to it now, two of which are pretty good ones but I'll spare you the details.  A few weeks back I was chatting with a friend at a soccer game about food and dinners (shocker) and the topic of the o'll Crock Pot came up.  The slow cooker is just so fantastic in theory but I feel like I rarely find a recipe that excites me.  I do have a few posted on this blog but they tend to be a variety of Asian pork or the all time fave of the whole chicken which I re posted from 100 Days of Real Food. This recipe, Slow-Cooker Stout & Chicken Stew from Eating Well does involve a little bit of prep but not too much.  They do give tips at the end of the recipe to do some of the prep ahead to save time in the morning.  There are two things I love about this, there is no canned soup involved and there is canned beer involved.  Who doesn't love an excuse to have an extra Guinness on hand?  OK, maybe a few but just work with me here.  You can click the link above for the recipe and I will include it again at the end.

One of my least favorite things to do is browning meat for a recipe.  I will say however, it is must less annoying to brown a few chicken thighs than to brown some big hunk of pork or beef.  You get some flour for dredging and a little salt and pepper.

Lightly coat your boneless, skinless chicken thighs, shaking off the excess.

Next, of course, comes the browning.  Just heat a little bit of oil in the pan and get to work.

When they're brown, you place them in the bottom of the slow-cooker in as close to a single layer as you can.

Next up, bacon.  Mmmmm.  Bacon.  This is just three slices.  I find it so much easier to cut raw bacon with some kitchen scissors rather than trying to chop it with a knife.  Raw bacon sticks to the knife.  This is quicker and easier if you have them.

Now cook the bacon for a couple of minutes until it starts to crisp up a tad.

Add flour to the bacon and cook a couple of minutes more.

Now you add that can of stout.  Mmmmm.  Stout.  Did you know that Guinness only has 125 calories per serving?  It's really not horrible as far as beer goes.  And this is spread around an entire recipe that makes 8 servings so better yet.

Once you add the stout, stir it up and scrape all the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan.

Then pour it over the chicken in the slow-cooker.

Add garlic and thyme....

carrots (these colorful lovelies are from our garden)....

mushrooms (which I don't particularly like, but I do like the flavor they add to the ensemble)....

(get them all in there on top of that chicken)

And top with chicken stock or broth.  I've been talking a lot lately about reading labels and this is a big one.  You will notice that some brands of stock report "lower sodium" all over the front of the can or carton.  Read the numbers.  Turns out it's just lower than their regular one.  This brand is lower than all of them (in our store anyway).

So that's it.  Put the lid on and let it cook all day.  You can go 4 hours on high or 8 on low which is usually the more convenient option. 

About 10 minutes before serving, add a cup of peas.  Another thing I'm not crazy about but I was a big girl and ate my peas AND mushrooms (thank you very much).

And there it is all finished.  My kids loved this, especially the boy.  The boy who's favorite meal to request is chicken pot pie.  Chicken pot pie takes about three days to make (in my experience...).  I hate making chicken pot pie but luckily this satisfied his craving!  I think next time I'll make some biscuits and that should really do the trick.

We had it over rice with a nice side salad.  So if this looks good click the Eating Well link and get cookin.