CrockPot White Bean & Sausage Soup

• 1 can white kidney beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 t thyme
• 2-4 spicy chicken or turkey sausage (pork sausage would work, too)
• 1/2 chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 cup leftover rice pilaf (if you want to use raw rice, you should have enough liquid to add 1/4 to 1/3 cup without losing soupiness)
• 2 cups chopped fresh vegetables (I had broccoli, carrots, asparagus)
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth

1. Drain and rinse your beans and throw them into your crock.
2. Chop up whatever vegetables you are going to use in tiny pieces.
3. Slice the sausage that you are going to use.
4. Add in the rice & the broth.
5. Cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5.
6. The soup is done when it's heated through and the vegetables are tender, but it's not going to hurt anything to cook it longer and give the flavors more time to meld.

Found On: A Year Of CrockPotting

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mashed bananas (2 1/2 to 3 large bananas)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup oatmeal

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and continue to beat.
4. In a separate bowl mix the bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which will give the cookies their lift and rise.
5. Mix the banana mixture in with the butter mixture.
6. In another bowl mix together the flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and then slowly sift it into the banana/butter mixture. Beat until just combined.
7. Fold into the batter the chocolate chips and the oatmeal.
8. Drop in dollops onto cookie sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Found On: SoapChick

Summertime Gazpacho

• 2 cups corn, fresh or frozen
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 2 ripe avocados, peeled and cubed
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground (toasted) cumin
• 1/4 teaspoons cayenne
• salt to taste
• 1 bell pepper, minced
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 4 scallions, minced
• 1 teaspoon tarragon (or 1 T. fresh chopped tarragon)
• 1 teaspoon basil (or 1 T. fresh chopped basil)

Combine and chill.

Found On: Cheap Healthy Good

CrockPot Chow Mein

• 1-2 lbs of meat (I used one pound of chicken breast; Debbi uses two pounds)
• 2 cups of water
• 2 chopped yellow onions
• 2-3 cups of chopped celery
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 T molasses
• 1 can (16 oz) baby corn, drained
• 1 can (6.5 oz) bamboo shoots, drained
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 chopped red bell pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• spaghetti or chow mein noodles

1. If you are using meat, put it into the crockpot. I used frozen chicken breast tenderloins. Add the chopped onion and celery, and two cups of water.
2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4.
3. Shred meat carefully with two forks.
4. In a glass bowl, mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, and molasses. Mix to get rid of the little clumpy balls of cornstarch. Set aside.
5. Chop up the red bell pepper, and add it to the crockpot.
6. Open the bamboo shoots and corn, drain liquid, and add remaining content.
7. Add bean sprouts.
8. Stir in the sauce mixture.
9. Cover your crockpot again and cook on high for about an hour, or until flavors have melded and the added vegetables reach desired tenderness.
10. Before serving, cook pasta according to package instructions.
11. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan or wok, and add some salt and pepper, if desired (I didn't add any pepper). On high heat, toss the cooked pasta in the olive oil and salt, allowing it to sizzle a bit and get a tiny crust on some of the noodles.
12. Serve the noodles with the crockpot vegetables and meat.

Found On: A Year Of CrockPotting

Many Bean Salad

This is a recipe for "Many Beans Salad" that I asked my sister-in-law for after it was a hit at a 4th of July picnic. The amounts for the veggies are adjustable to according to your preference and what is available.

• 1 can each: Black Beans, Dark Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Black-Eyed Peas, Yellow Corn, White Corn, Water Chestnuts
• Fresh Vegetables: Celery, Green Pepper, Red Pepper, Red Onion
• Dressing: 2/3 cup Olive Oil, 2/3 cup Cider Vinegar, 1/2 tsp. Salt, Sugar or Sweet-n-Low to taste (approx. 6 tsp. if using Sweet-n-Low)

1. Drain, rinse, and "dry" beans, black-eyed peas, and corn. Place all in large bowl and stir well.
2. Drain and rinse water chestnuts. Chop them, add to the beans, and mix together.
3. Chop celery, green pepper, red pepper, and red onion. Add all to the other assembled ingredients and mix again.
4. Boil 2/3 c. cider vinegar and 6 tsp. Sweet-n-Low. Remove from heat. Add 2/3 c. olive oil. Pour dressing over bean mixture. Add 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir well.
5. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir well and serve.

Found On: Frugal Upstate

Peach, Nectarine, & Blue Cheese Bruschetta

• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ whole wheat or sourdough baguette, cut into ¼-inch slices
• 1 large peach, peeled and chopped small
• 1 large nectarine, peeled and chopped small
• ¼ pound blue cheese

1. Turn on the broil function of your oven.
2. Add balsamic vinegar to a small pot set over medium heat. Cook until reduced by about half – the vinegar should thicken and look like syrup. (This took me about 10 minutes – Kris.) Remove from heat, pour into a glass container and allow to cool at room temperature.
3. Roughly chop the peaches and nectarines into small pieces. Crumble the blue cheese in a small bowl.
4. Place bread on a cookie sheet and brush the slices with olive oil. Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes; you want the slices to slightly brown so watch them carefully to prevent burning. Remove sheet from oven.
5. Brush each slice with the balsamic reduction and then top with the fruit and crumbled blue cheese. Return to the cookie sheet and place under the broil again to warm the fruit and melt the blue cheese (about 1-2 minutes).
6. Serve immediately.

Found On: Cheap Healthy Good

CrockPot Chocolate Mousse

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 4 large egg yolks
• 3 T baker's sugar (I like baker's sugar because the granules dissolve quickly)
• 1/3 cup cold, strong coffee
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. In your crockpot, add the heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and coffee.
2. Whip until combined with a whisk. You don't need to go crazy, just mix it well.
3. Add the two cups of chocolate chips.
4. Cover and cook on high for about an hour, or on low for about two. You are looking for little bubbles in the surface of the cream, and melted chocolate.
5. VERY VERY VERY VERY carefully, pour the mixture into a blender. You'll get about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of liquid.
6. Blend on high until it "grows" to about 5 to 6 cups, and doesn't seem like it will rise any higher.
7. Pour into serving dishes.
8. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Top with whipped cream or berries, or nothing at all.

Author used 4 qt round crock pot

Found On: A Year of CrockPotting