Crockpot Saves the Day

Thursday was supposed to be a day of surprises.  I suppose you could say it really was...just not the kind I was anticipating.  My husband's birthday is coming up, so to surprise him, his longtime-friend flew up for a quick visit, and so did his mom.  Kevin had no idea.  Unfortunately, a boy's night out, as I had imagined it would be, didn't happen because we spent most of the late hours in the Emergency Room!  It turns out metal bleachers and pool water just don't mix well with a wiggly three-year-old who still struggles to find her balance at times.  A quick slip and a slice on the head, and we were off to the ER for stitches.  Grace was a trooper, and I am so proud of how brave she was.

I was so happy I had thought ahead that morning (though never could have foreseen this!) and had dinner simmering in the crockpot.  By the time we got home, we were starving.  And as anybody with food allergies knows, a quick drive-thru at any fast food joint just isn't an option.  Lucky for us, we came home to the heavenly scent of chili and cornbread.  Grace and I had also whipped up a French Yogurt Cake that afternoon (this time instead of vanilla extract we used lemon extract, and sprinkled the zest of one lemon on top). Oh happy day.

I love my crockpot, and I probably use it at least once a week.  Here are my three favorite recipes.  Nothing more simple and basic than these!

Crockpot Chili
1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
1 32-oz can spaghetti sauce (I like the chunky versions because of the extra veggies)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons chili powder
dash of hot sauce
Sometimes I add frozen corn, diced zucchini, and/or diced onion

1.  Brown the meat and transfer to a crockpot (low 8 hours)

2.  Combine all the other ingredients in the crockpot.  Sit back and let the aroma take over your house.  Serve with cornbread (I use Bob's Red Mill mix)

Crockpot Chicken & Rice Soup

Leftover chicken pieces or 1 lb of chicken meat (breast, thigh, your choice.  It does not need to be cooked)
2 14.5-oz cans chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen sweet corn
1/2 cup chopped onion
3-5 carrots, chopped
5 baby potatoes, chopped
2 cups cooked rice
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 cloves crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Combine all ingredients except the rice in a crockpot set on low 8 hours

2.  An hour or so before you plan to eat, shred the chicken using two forks.

3.  10 minutes or so before serving, add the rice and stir thoroughly.  Remove bay leaves.

Crockpot Beef Stew
1 lb beef stew meat
1 can beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
5 baby potatoes, chopped
5 carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Combine all ingredients in a crockpot set on low for 8 hours.

2.  Eat and enjoy!

Anniversary Dinner - Molasses Balsamic Glazed Salmon & French Yogurt Cake

Today my husband and I celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary.  Pretty cool if you ask me.  We've had a great six years.  The day we got married it was freezing cold, and there was snow on the ground.  We had recently had a snow and ice storm making the roads very treacherous.  But our guests still came and it was a fabulous time!  I'm not kidding when I say we had a blast.  If I could live my wedding day all over again, I totally would.  I loved every second of it.  Except for the cake.  Apparently it was really good, because by the time my husband and I went to have a piece, there was none left (and it was not a small cake!).  Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, as at the time I had not yet gone gluten-free, so it would have been a guaranteed bloat-fest and tummy ache!  So, I make it a point to bake a special cake every year for our anniversary.

Now, on with the food.  Because we celebrated over the weekend with a lovely night out to dinner and the symphony in Seattle, I really didn't go out of my way to do anything special for dinner.  But I did of course make a cake.  For our main course tonight we had salmon with a balsamic molasses glaze (recipe below).  And for dessert I made a slight variation of Cybele Pascal's French Yogurt Cake from my trusty baking bible, The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook.   All were a hit.  Have I mentioned my kids are obsessed with salmon?  They are.  And I love it, too. We eat it once a week.  

Molasses Balsamic Glaze Salmon

1 large filet salmon (I usually buy Coho or King, and always wild never farmed)

Glaze

4 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking pan with foil.

2.  Mix all glaze ingredients together in a bowl.

3.  Place salmon in baking dish and pour glaze over the the top

4.  Bake for about 25 minutes

French Yogurt Cake (Recipe calls for yogurt container to be used as the "measure")
1 (6oz) container vanilla coconut yogurt (I use So Delicious)
1 1/2 "measures" sugar
1 tablespoon egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup rice milk
1 "measure" canola oil
3 "measures" basic gluten-free flour blend
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a loaf pan and sprinkle with a little flour.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all the ingredients, adding them one at a time in the order listed, beating on medium speed after each addition.  Beat until smooth, about 1 minute.  Pour into the loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour, rotating pan halfway through.

3.  Let cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.  Slice with a serrated knife.  Serve plain or with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or dollop of sorbet.

I can't wait to try this again with a little orange or lemon extract and zest.  I also can't wait for my husband to finish putting my daughter to bed so we can actually enjoy a slice together!