Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

 Colorful. Flavorful. And Freezable.

Three words I love in soup.

I found this Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup on the Pinterest. It is soooooo easy, and it's a healthy dish that is filling and full of veggies. 

The prep couldn't be easier. Just place ingredients in the crockpot and stir. Then shred the chicken before cooking for another thirty minutes. The recipe gives instructions for cooking on the low setting for 6 hours. I did it on the high setting for 4 hours, and it worked perfectly. If you want this to be more child friendly, you could use just plain chopped tomatoes to cut down on the spice factor. I used a nice fire-roasted. I also added a green bell pepper because I had one, and the more vedge the merrier in my opinion. 

Serve over rice, if you'd like. Top with cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips or strips. Avocado would be fab too, but I don't groove on that due to my food allergies. But you do you!

Sooo delish.

The recipe made a ton, so I froze a batch for later on in the winter. Yay for preparation!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

From Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons

Makes 12 servings

3 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 packet fajita seasoning

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cans chopped tomatoes with chilies

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp., chopped cilantro for garnish

1 cup tortilla strips, for garnish

Serve with: Shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream

Add chicken, onion, chopped tomatoes, black beans, corn, bell pepper, broth, bay leaf and fajita seasoning to the slow cooker. Mix with a spoon.

Cook on low for 6 hours. Shred chicken. Cook an additional 20 minutes.

Serve with cilantro, tortilla chips or your favorite toppings like sour cream, avocado or shredded cheese.

Please note: The Jersey Girl uses low-salt chicken broth. She added a green bell pepper and used fire-roasted tomatoes. She cooked this dish on high for 4 hours. After shredding the chicken, she added chopped cilantro and cooked on low for thirty minutes.

Trisha Yearwood Pork Tenderloin

Who doesn't need a good crockpot recipe up her sleeve?

This Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin comes from Trisha Yearwood. While I don't avidly watch her show on the Food Network, I've heard of her cooking skills and thought this dish looked interesting. 

This is a crockpot recipe, but it starts on the stove with searing the meat and ends on the stove with making the gravy.

I served it with mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe.

I followed her recipe closely, but I do use low sodium soy sauce and low sodium chicken broth. I also skipped the very first step of seasoning the pork tenderloin with salt. I try to cook with minimal salt always, and I thought the soy sauce provided ample salt. I seared the meat in olive oil rather than vegetable oil. The seasonings seem sparse in the recipe list, but it all worked well together. 

My pork tenderloin was just under 3 pounds and it came in two pieces. You may use a pork loin or a pork tenderloin for this recipe. 

Slow Cooker Pork Loin

By Trisha Yearwood

Makes 8 to 10 servings

2 1/2 to 3 lb. pork loin, trimmed of all visible fat

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (The Jersey Girl used olive oil)

2 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

salt and pepper, to taste

Season the pork loin lightly with salt. In a small bowl combine the garlic powder, ginger, dried thyme, and black pepper. Rub the seasoning over the surface of the pork loin.

In a skillet heat the oil and brown the pork loin on all sides. Transfer the pork to the crock pot. Combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, and soy sauce; pour over the pork loin.

Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5.

After cooking, transfer the roast to a platter and keep warm.

To make the gravy, pour the liquid from the crock pot into a measuring cup. Skim off the fat. Measure two cups of the liquid, adding water if needed. Transfer to a sauce pan reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Stir the cornstarch into the reserved liquid, then stir into the liquid in the sauce pan. Heat, stirring frequently, until the gravy is thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the roast with the gravy.

Crockpot Chicken Cheesesteaks

So I know the whole InstaPot thing is the hotness, but the only plug-in cooking vessel I use is a crockpot. And even that thing only sees the light of day maybe six times per year.

I look at my crockpot as a bit of a means of cheating to cook. I also say to myself when lugging it up from the confines of my basement kitchen gadget auxiliary, "Wow, is this what it has come to?" But alas, sometimes even the most Nigella Lawson/Lidia Bastianich/Ina Garten obsessed gals need to take a shortcut now again. Truth, the crockpot is very useful when you are having a frantic day/night/week and you just need to chop up a few things, open a can, place ingredients on top of each other and call it a day.

Such is the case with this recipe for Crockpot Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches from Life in the Lofthouse. I discovered it on Pinterest. I have made the dish three times, so I would declare it a success. I would also declare quite firmly that the final product is NOTHING like a for reals Philly chicken cheesesteak, but the dish does make for a great dinner. I served it on hoagie rolls with provolone cheese. Voila!

This is a good one to make if your family is coming and going and needs to eat in between activities.

Crockpot Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches
From Life in the Lofthouse
Yields 4 to 6 sandwiches

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 medium yellow onion, sliced into thin strips
1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 cup chicken broth (Please note: The Jersey Girl used an entire can of chicken broth)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons steak sauce (I used Heinz 57)
6 hoagie buns

Spray inside of crock pot with non-stick spray. 

Lay the onion and bell pepper slices in the bottom of crock pot. Pour chicken broth over the veggies. Lay chicken breasts over the top of vegetables. 

Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder and steak sauce over the chicken.

Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 6 to 7 hours OR on high heat for 3 to 4 hours (or until chicken is tender and cooked through)

Carefully remove chicken from crock pot and shred with two forks. 

Return to crock pot and stir to combine the shredded chicken and veggies. (There will be liquid in the crock pot but I leave it in to keep the chicken moist)

Using a slotted spoon scoop up chicken mixture and place inside hoagie buns. Top with desired sliced cheese, such as provolone.