Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

Recipe Adapted From:
How Sweet It Is: Pinterest

Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces of beer
32 ounces of barbecue sauce

Preparation:

Season chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add to crockpot, then add beer and 24 ounces of barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired. After 8 hours, shred and add remaining barbecue sauce. Toss chicken to coat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb everything. Serve as desired.

Notes & Tips:
A great recipe for the crockpot. Very yummy and easy. I used Killian's Irish Red for the beer. I also didn't have enough BBQ sauce in the fridge so I had to make 2 cups of my own blend to add to the dredges of random BBQ sauce that I had (Famous Dave's Devils Spit & Kraft Think/Tangy). I made my own blend with ketchup and lots of random spices/vinegar. The original recipe says that using a thinner sauce is easier, but I disagree. I would use a thicker one and let the beer do the thinning.

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken

Recipe Adapted From:
Pinterest: My Kitchen Apron

Ingredients:
3 lb. bag of frozen chicken breasts
1 bottle Frank's Wings Buffalo Sauce
1 packet Ranch Dip Mix
2 TBSP butter

Preparation:
Put frozen chicken, wing sauce, and ranch dip mix into crock pot.
Cook on low at least 6 to 7 hours
Using two forks, shred chicken & return to crock pot.
Add butter. Cook on low for an additional hour.

Notes & Tips:
Mat gives this two thumbs up because of how spicy I made it. I gave it two thumbs up because of how easy it was. I forgot to add the butter at the end, which I don't think it made any difference. Also, I bought the wrong type of Frank's Red Hot. I bought the original flavor instead of the buffalo sauce. It was quite a bit spicier, but you know, I think I enjoyed it. I put a little Ranch Dressing on the buns and it toned it down a little.

Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches

Recipe Taken From:
Sparkpeople.com

Ingredients:

* 1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast
* 1/2 cup lite, low sodium soy sauce
* 1 beef bouillon cube
* 1 bay leaf
* 3 whole black peppercorns
* 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 10 slices provolone cheese
* 10 steak rolls

Preparation:
1) Remove and discard all visible fat from the roast. Place trimmed roast in a slow cooker.

2) In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over roast, and add enough water to almost cover roast. Cover, and cook on Low heat for 10 to 12 hours, or until meat is very tender.

3) Remove meat from broth, reserving broth. Let the meat sit for five minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. Shred meat with a fork, and serve on rolls with a slice of provolone. Use reserved broth for dipping.

Notes & Tips:
I used beef broth instead of beef bouillon. Also, I used the cheapest cut of beef I could find. It turned out a little tough, but the meat pulled apart great. Next time I would use a nicer cut of beef. I served this with sweet potato fries and steamed veggies.

Nutrition Facts:
Servings Per Recipe: 10
Calories: 543.7
Total Fat: 17.6 g
Total Carbs: 41.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
Protein: 52.7 g

Baked Beans

Ingredients:
•6 to 8 strips bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
•3 cans (16 ounces each) baked pork and beans
•1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
•1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
•1/2 cup ketchup, or use part barbecue sauce

Preparation:
Fry bacon until crisp; drain well on paper towels. Combine all ingredients; transfer to crockpot; cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours.

Notes & Tips:
I really like how sweet these beans are. They're super easy to make and I love using my crockpot. Serves 6 to 8.

Nutrition Facts:
1 cup, 220 calories, 2g fat, 47g carbs, 13g protein

Brazilian Chicken Curry

Recipe Taken From:
Women's Day Magazine, June 2010

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp each minced garlic and fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium Vidalia or sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 2 bell peppers, cut into
• 1-in. strips and halved crosswise
• 12 oz Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-in. pieces
• 4 tsp curry powder
• 8 chicken drumsticks, skin removed (2 1/4 lb)
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:
1. Mix coconut milk, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper in a 6-qt slow cooker. Add onion, peppers and potatoes; mix well until vegetables are evenly coated.

2. Rub curry powder all over chicken. Place chicken on top of vegetables in slow cooker.

3. Cover and cook on high 4 to 5 hours or on low 6 to 8 hours until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro

Notes & Tips:
I loved that this was a crockpot meal, and an easy one at that. I really liked the curry flavor. I do think it needs more salt. Also, I didn't have any drumsticks, so I used chicken thighs instead. I served this with brown rice.

Nutrition Facts:
Serves 4
Calories 393
Total Fat 15g
Saturated Fat 9g
Cholesterol 110mg
Sodium 497mg
Total Carbohydrates 30g
Dietary Fiber 5g
Protein 34g

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Recipe Adapted From:
www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

Dry Rub:

• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 3 tablespoons coarse salt
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 (3-4lb) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt

Cider Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 1 cup yellow or brown mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 12 hamburger buns

Preparation:
Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork and marinate for as long as you have time for, as little as 1 hour or up to overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.

Place the quartered onions in the bottom of crock pot. Place pork in a crock pot on top of onions.

To make the barbecue sauce: combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Pour 1/3 of sauce on top of roast, fill crockpot half way up the roast with water. Cook in crockpot for 7-8 hours on low. Scoop out 1/2 of juice and either save or throw out. Pull pork apart with forks. Pour other 2/3 of sauce on top of pulled pork. Cook on low again for 30min-1 hour.

To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom 1/2 of the hamburger bun. Serve with slaw if desired.

Notes & Tips:
I also like to add a little "W" sauce and liquid smoke. I used a Pork loin, which was a tad less fat. I think that using a cheaper cut of pork would taste just as good. Also, I served this on the thin buns so that can cut out calories too, just be aware that this is a very saucy recipe so be prepared to eat the sandwich with a fork.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 420, 19g Fat, 29g Carbs, 31g Protein