Slow Cooker Meals

One of the best ways to enjoy a home cooked meal is if you do not have to stand over the stove preparing it. Using a slow cooker to simmer and savor the flavors of your favorite dish makes mealtime less stressful. A slow cooker meal cuts meal preparation in half. A little preparation the night before can result is a hearty, healthy delicious meal for your family.

Quick Mexican style chili con carne is one of the best tasting recipes for a slow cooker meal. You can top this meal with crushed tortilla chips, chopped onion or cheese. Your family will eat it all and ask for more.

Slow Cooker Quick Mex Chili Con Carne

Ingredients:

*1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
*1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
*1/2 medium yellow onion – chopped
*1 can crushed tomatoes
*3 tablespoons chili powder
*4 cloves garlic, minced
*1 teaspoon pepper
*1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
*1 can no fat low sodium beef broth
*Kosher salt to taste

Instructions:

You can brown and drain the ground beef and onions the night before. Put the ingredients together in the morning and start the slow cooker. By the time you arrive home in the evening, the chili is ready to eat.

1. Brown and drain ground round beef in olive oil
2. Add onion and cook until onion turn translucent
3. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and mix thoroughly.
4. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Toppings:

Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese sprinkled on top.
Tortilla chips
Chopped onion
Chopped fresh cilantro

This recipe can be frozen and then reheated in a saucepan later in the week for quick dinners. People in the south love to eat chili with cornbread. You might want to give it a try. Use the out of the box jiffy mix for a quick satisfying treat for the family.

Enjoy.

Use the leftovers from the previous recipe to make a delicious Chili con Queso Dip for tortillas.

Recipe for Chili con Queso

Add 1 can of nacho cheese sauce. If you have time prepare the following recipe and just fold it into the chili.

Ingredients:

*1- glove minced garlic
*1-4 ounce can of sliced jalapenos
*1-tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
*1-tablespoon flour
*1/2 cup milk
*1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend

Instructions:

1. Sauté the garlic and jalapeno slices in olive oil over medium heat
2. Add the flour
3. Stir in milk
4. After 1-2 minutes sprinkle in the cheese
5. Fold the mixture into chili

This dish makes a great treat for Football game parties. You can keep the dip warm in the slow cooker.

Notice the use of extra virgin olive oil in all of our recipes. Olive oil is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed as it is freshly pressed from the fruit. The health effects of olive oil is due both to its high content of fatty acids plus its high content of anti-oxidants. Olive oil protects against heart disease by controlling LDL (bad) cholesterol while raising HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Olive oil is a heart healthy product.