Crockpot Chicken & Rice Casserole

This recipe came from a Slow-Cooker recipe book that I have. All the recipes are low-fat, healthy versions of popular and new meals.

I found this to be a little too thick. Next time, I may thin it some with a little water or chicken broth.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

1 (10¾ oz) can Healthy Request Cream of Chicken soup

1 c. skim milk

½ c. (2.5 oz jar) sliced mushrooms, undrained

1 c. finely chopped celery

1 medium onion, chopped

1 c. uncooked instant rice

16 oz. boneless, skinless uncooked chicken breast, cut into small pieces

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. In pot, combine soup, milk, and undrained mushrooms. Stir in celery, onion, and uncooked rice. Add chicken. Mix well to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours. Mix well before serving.

Serves: 4 (1 full cup)

WW points: 6

Sausage Dip

I received this recipe a few years ago at a Recipe Swap Party. It's such a easy appetizer and always a hit. My family requests it any time I'm in charge of the appetizer.

Sausage Dip

2 lbs. sausage, cooked & drained

2 blocks of cream cheese (I use reduced fat and it turns out great)

2 cans of Rotel

Combine all ingredients together. Put in a 9x13 pan. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.

Pepperoni Stromboli

This is a very easy and good recipe that can be made in no time at all!

I added mushrooms, green pepper, and onions. It was quite fabulous if I do say so myself!

 

Pepperoni Stromboli

 

1 (1 pound) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed

1/2 cup spaghetti sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

4 ounces sliced pepperoni

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Punch dough down. On a lightly floured surface, roll loaf into 20x8 inch rectangle. Place dough on a greased baking sheet. Spread spaghetti sauce in an 18x4 inch strip down the center. Sprinkle with oregano, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Fold long sides of dough up toward filling; pinch ends to seal. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Tomato & Bacon Quiche

This recipe is so simple to prepare, toss in a freezer bag, and freeze for a later date. My cookbook had two versions, a regular quiche in a pie crust or a low fat version without the crust. I did a combination of both recipes.

The only differences were a reduced amount of cheeses, egg substitute, and using sliced potatoes on the bottom of a pie pan instead of a pie crust.

This is the reduced fat version.

Tomato & Bacon Quiche

1/4 c. bacon, cooked & chopped (I used precooked bacon)

1/2 c. onion, chopped

1 c. tomatoes, diced

1 tsp. butter or margarine

1 c. lowfat cottage cheese

1 1/2 c. fat-free egg substitute (I used 3 eggs instead)

1/2 c. Swiss cheese, grated

1 Tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Saute onion in butter/margarine until soft. In a separate bowl or freezer container, mix remaining ingredients. Add onions and mix well. Freeze.

To prepare with pie crust: Thaw quiche mixture. Pour mixture into crust. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes.

To prepare with potato crust: Thaw quiche mixture. Slice potatoes and place on the bottom and sides of greased 9-inch pie plate. Pour quiche over potatoes. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes.

Blueberry Buckle

This is very easy and great served with vanilla ice cream. The perfect summer combination.

Blueberry Buckle

5 cups ripe fresh blueberries, washed

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven to 375°. Place blueberries in a 13x9 baking dish and set aside.Stir remaining ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Sprinkle mixture over berries. Bake until golden brown about 30-40 minutes.

I must give credit where credit is due and say that I found this recipe at Fried Okra's blog.

Saucy Italian Chicken

Anything cooked in a crockpot always tastes good! I think it's because you didn't have to slave away over a stove or oven to make it :)

Hubby has deemed this "the best chicken you've ever made". I served it over rice and added garlic, salt, and pepper.

According to the cookbook, the secret to this recipe is in the spices. Make sure your's are not too old!

 

Saucy Italian Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, halved  (no need to cook them first, toss them in frozen or thawed)

1 cup (8 oz. can) tomato sauce

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

I Tbsp. Splenda

1 tsp. dried onion flakes

Spray slow-cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken on the bottom of the crock. Mix together the remaining ingredients and spoon evenly over the chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 - 8 hours.

Serves 4

Deep-Dish Pizza Casserole

This is a great simple recipe that I recently came across. I used shredded mozzarella and added onions, green peppers, and mushrooms. I couldn't find the Italian style tomato sauce, so I just got regular and doctored it up with herbs & spices.

Deep-Dish Pizza Casserole

1 lb. ground round

1 (15 oz can) chunky Italian-style tomato sauce

cooking spray

1 (10 oz) can refrigerated pizza crust dough

6 (1 oz) slices part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Cook meat in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring until it crumbles. Drain, if necessary and return to skillet. Add tomato sauce, and cook until heated.

 While meat cooks, coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll pizza crust dough and press into bottom and halfway up the sides of dish. Line bottom of crust with half of the mozzarella. Top with meat mixture (and any added ingredients).

Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 12 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake 5 more minutes or until browned and melted. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Servings: 6

WW points: 8

Cracker Barrel Dumplings with Chicken

Chicken & Dumplings are my absolute favorite meal. They are the perfect comfort food. I searched high and low for the perfect recipe.

Then one day I found it. They were perfect. Hubby claims it's his favorite meal.

Warning: This recipe takes some time to make and can be messy! However, it's very worth it!

To turn it into chicken and dumplings, I shred a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking a chicken. To really save on time, I sometimes use canned chicken. I add the chicken at the very end into the sauce.

Cracker Barrel Dumplings

2 C Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1 C whole Milk (I use skim)

4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

3 chicken bouillon cubes

Mix above ingredients, blend them well and turn out on to a floured surface. Knead 4 or five times and divide dough into two parts. Roll out one piece of dough to 1/8" thick and cut into 1"x1 1/2" strips. Place into a large sauce pan that you have place 8 cups of water and 3 chicken bouillon cubes that has been brought to boil and the bouillon cubes have been dissolved. Cook 1 half of dumplings until just about done and strain and set aside. Next finish the other half of the dumplings in the same way. While cooking the dumplings you can prepare the sauce.

Dumpling Sauce

3 Tbsp Butter

4 Tbsp Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

1 C Whole Milk

2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes (crumbled)

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 -3/4 C Dumpling Cooking Liquid (after dumplings have been cooked)

Place butter in medium sauce pan and melt, add salt and flour, stir until thick. Mix sugar with milk, and add to flour mixture a little at a time and stir constantly with a whisk until thick and smooth. Remove from heat. Place cooked dumplings in dumpling sauce and add 1/2 cups of cooking liquid in which the crumbled chicken bouillon cubes have been added and stir gently, Simmer dumplings until blended on low heat. More cooking liquid may be added if needed.

Swiss Medley (veggie casserole)

This casserole is a tradition in my family. It's the perfect side dish that's different from your typical dishes.

I made this for Thanksgiving and the HUGE casserole dish was just about cleared out. My brother said he only eats this at holidays, but I think it's great any time of the year!!

Swiss Medley

1 (16 oz) pkg. frozen California veggie blend (broccoli, carrots, & cauliflower), thawed

1 cup sour cream

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

French fried onions

Combine all ingredients except for the onions. Place in a 2 quart casserole dish. Top with onions and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Tips:

• I use sliced swiss cheese and tear into small pieces.
• I steam the veggies first and then combine with the other ingredients. This make the casserole more smooth with the cooked down broccoli & cauliflower.

Vegetarian Chili

This recipe was given to me years ago by a former co-worker. For some reason, I put it aside and didn't make it for a while. When I finally did, I realized I'd wasted a lot of time not eating this great meal!

Since marrying my meat-eating Hubby, I've now begun to add meat...shh, don't tell! In addition, I'm not one to follow the recipe so I tend to dump a little of this and a little of that in as well. This is the perfect recipe to play around with!

You can make this in a stock pot or toss it all in a crock pot for a few hours. It's also easy to double or triple if you really need to feed a crowd or want some to freeze.

While I normally eat it in a bowl with cheese & sour cream, my co-worker swore that the best way to eat this chili was to serve the chili over brown rice and scoop it up with Fritos.

Vegetarian Chili

6 cups canned kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 can (15 oz) tomato puree

1 tsp. chili powder (or to taste)

1 Tbsp. cumin (or to taste)

1 Tbsp. dry mustard

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 tsp. honey

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 medium onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, diced

Place all the ingredients in a large stock pot. Mix well; bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the veggies are tender, about 2 hours.