Crock Pot Refried Beans

In.Credible. Never buy canned refried beans again. Never. Promise? So cheap and so good. I want to make Mexican food just so I can make these as a side dish. This makes quite a bit, but you can freeze the beans in smaller portions (I have). And there is nothing "fried" here ... but there is butter :)

3 C dry pinto beans
5 chicken bouillon cubes
1 TB garlic salt
1/2 medium sweet onion**
1/2 C (1 stick) butter

This is for a large 5 qt+ crock pot.

First, lay the beans out on a cookie sheet. Pick through to make sure there aren't any funky beans in there. Then rinse the beans.

Put beans in a crock pot and fill with at least 8 cups of water. You'll need to check the water level periodically to make sure the beans stay covered (although a few will start floating near the end).

Add bouillon cubes and garlic salt. You can either chop up the onion into big chunks, or leave it just one big chunk. I've done it both ways.

Cook on high for 4 hours (again, depends on your crock pot, beans need to be soft).

Strain beans, but keep the liquid! You'll want to save at least 1 Cup of "bean liquid".

Add 1/2 cup butter, and 1/2 cup of bean liquid. Use an immersion blender (or do this in batches) to blend the beans/butter/liquid. Gradually add more liquid until the beans are your desired consistency. I usually add 1 cup, maybe a little more. You don't want them too stiff, since they set up.

**If you leave the onion as a big chunk, you can just take all/most of the onion out before you blend. When I've cut it into chunks, I take out some, and blend the rest with the beans. I liked it both ways.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Warning: There is nothing about this recipe that is healthy, but it's super good.  I actually have never made it, I've just been on the eating end. (One of my students brought this to our end-of-semester potluck).

2 C shredded chicken (rotisserie or breast)
1 loaf/16 oz Velveeta spicy buffalo cheese
1 can Muir Glen organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 C buffalo wing sauce

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray, put all the ingredients in. Cover & cook on low for 2 hours or until the cheese is melted. Serve with chips.



Honestly, I've never purchased Velveeta and didn't know such a thing as Velveeta spicy buffalo cheese existed. I'm sure it's totally natural. ;)  Just don't think about it when you eat it. It's really tasty dip!

Tri-tip sandwiches

Another man-pleasin' meal. Although this is about the only shredded beef (or any beef) sandwich I truly think is delicious! Sooo simple. 

tri-tip roast (triangle roast, sirloin roast)*
Lawry's auj jus seasoning packet
water

For every ~2 lbs of roast add 1 packet of auj jus and 2 cups water to crock pot.
Cook on high for ~6 hours or low ~8-10 hours.
Take beef out, shred. Meat should fall apart easily with a fork.
Ladle off extra fat from liquid (or use gravy separator). Use liquid for dipping.

Eat with kaiser rolls, avocado slices, tomato, lettuce, provolone cheese (or any combination).

*I have no idea what kind of roast I've purchased in the past. Sometimes I find sirloin, sometimes I don't. You want to make sure the meat is well-marbled (fatty) to keep it moist & tasty. If there's a thick layer of fat on one side, just remove that before shredding. I spoon some juice onto the meat/bread as well as dip.

spicy* chicken soup

* or not so spicy, if you are so inclined. From allrecipes.com.

4 C water
2.5 chicken bouillon cubes
4 chicken breasts
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 TB dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
2 TB chili powder
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 garlic cloves, chopped
8 oz. chunky salsa
1 can peeled/diced tomatoes
1/2 condensed tomato soup
1 can black beans
1/2 can corn (or equiv. frozen)

Put everything in the crockpot/slow cooker except beans & corn. Cook on low for 8 hours. After 6 hours remove chicken & shred, add back to pot. Add beans and corn.

Serve with dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado and/or tortilla chips.

Adjust anything to your taste; this one's pretty fool proof! I've forgotten the corn & beans and it still tasted uber-good. You could also sub the water/bouillon for 4 cups chicken broth.

Mexican Chicken Chili

I think the official title once was "Chicken Tortilla Soup," but I think it turns out much more like a chili... and there is no tortilla involved when I eat it, so I came up with a better name. :)

3 or 4 chicken breasts (can even be frozen straight from the freezer)
2 cans stewed tomatoes (seasoned, whichever strikes your fancy)
1 can corn
2 cans black beans
1 can green chilis
1 small bottle salsa

Simmer in crockpot all day on low (even with frozen chicken). Serve over tortilla chips with cheese, or serve over rice (or pearled barley, my new favorite).