Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
1 1/2 lb chicken breast
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 c chicken broth
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 t oregano
1/2 t paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
1- 13.5 oz can coconut milk, opt
2 T cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, pitted and sliced

1. Place chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker; add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic.
2. Pour in tomatoes and broth; sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Shred chicken before serving. Stir in coconut milk. Garnish with cilantro and avocado.

Oven-Baked Bacon

Oven-Baked Bacon
1 lb bacon

1. Preheat oven to 425* and place one cooling rack each on two jellyroll pans.
2. Place bacon on cooling racks, careful not to overlap; bake for 15-25 minutes, depending on desired crispness.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash
1 medium, fat spaghetti squash

1. Slice squash widthwise into 1" rings; run a knife along the interior of the rings to remove seeds.
2. Salt both sides of each ring liberally and place on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375* and a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
4. Wipe excess moisture from squash rings and lay in a single layer on the cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 40 minutes; allow to cool for 15 minutes and then peel away skin and separate strands into long "noodles".

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Thai Soup

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Thai Soup
2 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
21 oz unsweetened coconut milk
3 c chicken broth
3 t onion powder
1-3 t sriracha, to taste
juice of 2 limes + zest of 1 lime, separated
1 t garlic powder
1 t curry powder
3 t salt, or to taste
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1/4 c chopped cashews
1/2 t red chili pepper flakes (opt)

1. Add butternut squash, coconut milk, chicken broth, onion powder, sriracha, lime juice, garlic powder, and curry powder in a slow cooker; cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours (or on low for 4-5 hours).
2. Using an immersion blender (or regular blender or food processor), blend soup; add salt to taste and additional milk, if desired.
3. In a small bowl, combine cilantro, cashews, red chili pepper flakes, and lime zest; sprinkle over individual servings of soup. 

Dump Ranch

Dump Ranch
1 egg at room temperature
1 c light-tasting olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 T red wine vinegar
1 t salt
1 t pepper
3/4 t onion powder
3/4 t garlic powder
1/2 c full-fat coconut milk
1 handful fresh parsley
1/2 T dried dill

1. Blend all ingredients with an immersion blender for about a minute, until well combined.
Will last about a week in the fridge.

Mini Frittatas

Mini Frittatas
12 eggs
12 slices of bacon
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 c shredded sweet potato
3/4 c chopped mushrooms
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400* and line the 12 cups of a muffin tin with one slice of bacon each; bake for 15 minutes. Drain the bacon grease and reduce oven heat to 350*.
2. While the bacon is cooking, mix all other ingredients in a medium bowl; divide mixture among the 12 muffin cups.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test.

Italian Meatballs

Italian Meatballs
2 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
2 eggs
2 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t oregano
1 t basil
2 t rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely diced
29 oz tomato sauce

1. In a large bowl, combine beef, turkey, eggs, olive oil, salt, oregano, basil, and rosemary; gently mix until just combined.

2. In a large pot, over medium-high heat, heat 2-3 tablespoons oil. Drop golf ball-sized meatballs in the pot, brown on all sides, and remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining meat mixture.

3.When all meatballs are cooked and removed to the plate, add garlic and onion to the now-empty pot; cook until onions are clear.
4. Add tomato sauce and meatballs to pot and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Serve over spaghetti [squash].

Pot Roast

Pot Roast
2 T olive oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 lb (or about 10) carrots, roughly chopped
3-5 lb chuck roast
salt and pepper
3 c beef broth
2 t rosemary
2 t thyme

1. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat; add onions and, covered, brown.
2. Remove onions to a plate and set aside; add carrots to pan and heat for about 2-3 minutes, covered, until browned. Reserve the carrots with the onions.
3. Generously salt and pepper roast; turn burner up to high heat. If needed, add some more olive oil to the pan before adding the roast.
4. Sear roast for about a minute on each side until it's brown all over; place in slow cooker.
5. Combine broth, rosemary, and thyme in a small bowl.
6. Deglaze the pan by adding about cup of broth mixture (it may smoke a bit) and scraping the bits off of the bottom; pour contents over roast.
7. Add vegetables to slow cooker and then pour in remaining broth mixture.
8. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until fall-apart tender.