WIAW # 45: Crockpot Carrot Soup

It's officially Fall!!! I saw a giant pile of leaves in front of our University President's office and thought really hard about jumping in it. But alas, I was in a dress with no tights. Yes, that's probably the only reason I didn't go through with it! (It was taller than it looks.)

Happy WIAW everyone! I'm afraid my eats are a little boring this week (Sorry Jenn, promise I'm not comparing!)  Monday was super busy for me ironically as it is usually my least stressful day. With midterms right around the corner (yikes!) I've been a little busy. But really, when am I not busy? This month's theme for What I Ate Wednesday is Spooky Snacks and Healthy Halloween Treats. I haven't made that yet but I've definitely been keeping up with the healthy snacking primarily with Honeycrisp apples and a tbsp. of Almond butter or a banana, or a chobani, etc.

WIAW is also Pink for Breat Cancer Awareness. My grandmother passed away after her remission from Breast Cancer ended and the cells traveled causing other types. So for me  awareness is a good thing even if it is just taking care of your own body and being aware of the signs. If you have any questions, I recommend reading more from National Cancer Institute.

But on another note I do have a very fall themed recipe for you today that you have to try to believe how good it is...but that's the last thing included so scroll down!


   

Breakfast:

 

Cup of regular coffee

1 banana, sliced

 

Lunch:

 

Colby-Jack Grilled Cheese on my fav Martin's 100% Whole Wheat Potato Bread.
Love this stuff, reminds me of home.
Water

 

Low Key Dinner:

 

Big bowl of my freshly made (Sunday) Carrot Soup topped with toasted acorn squash seeds, dash of cream, two pieces of Salio bread, small glass of cabernet

Lunch Remix Next Day:
 

 

 

Carrot Soup, two pieces of bread, and

leftover Haricot Verts with Apples and Roasted Squash seeds= yum

 
More on that delicious looking carrot soup....

To say the least I had a lot of carrots to use. Two weeks ago "cooking carrots" were buy-one-get-one-free. Well, I needed carrots anyways so why not get 30 large carrots for a $1.50, eh?

I thought carrot soup, and no less in my crockpot would be a perfect use of these bad boys. I didn't realize until after trying the finished soup that I had actually had a very similar version in England as it is a popular type of soup. Perfect!
 

 

Since it's Fall (kind of) I've been dying for some fall recipes. What's better than a warm soup "Fall" soup?

 
When looking for some inspiration I found some other carrot soup recipes but for some reason most of these recipes had a very little percentage of actual carrots in them. From one, there was only six carrots to six potatoes. I had a lot of carrots to use so instead I added 15 carrots to two potatoes. Unlike expectations, this soup still blends perfectly and has a striking resemblance to the much more expensive and posh butternut squash soup.

 I added just a little cream cheese and cream to make the flavors blend better without too much extra calories, fat, or salt. At first I was going to call this "Curry Carrot Soup" since there is curry in it but as it is not the most profound flavor, I think it is fair just to call in "Carrot Soup" because it is delicious. I hope you'll agree with my new favorite Fall recipe.

Crockpot Carrot Soup

makes roughly 2 -3 quarts of soup

{Inspired by ATX Gluten-Free}

Ingredients:

15 large cooking carrots, peeled and sliced into thin medallions
2 medium russet potatoes, cut into small chunks, skin on
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 tbsp. Apple cider (or white wine) vinegar
1 small tart apple, finely chopped (I used honeycrisp)
4. oz cream cheese
1/4 cup (2 oz.) half-n-half or light cream
1 tbsp. fresh or dried rosemary
2 tbsp. yellow curry
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tsp. cumin
Dash of chili powder
2 tsp. Sriracha
2 tsp. black pepper
garlic salt to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients except half-n-half and cream cheese into the crockpot and mix together well. Cook for 4 hours on HIGH. Carrots and potatoes should be tender when finished.

Working in batches transfer soup into a blender. Add cream and cream cheese proportionally in batches and blend until smooth. (If using an immersion blender you can carefully work right in the pot.) Add additional seasoning if needed.

Serve warm with a swirl of cream and toasted squash seeds or sauteed mushrooms for texture on top and warm bread and a side salad.

Enjoy!

P.s. Great  recipe for parties or Thanksgiving! Just bring the crockpot with you!

Love,

The College Cuisiner

Crockpot Curry Peach Chicken

I'm loving my new crockpot that my BFF Nicole gave me for my birthday. After the Chicken Chili I made I got excited to make a new recipe.

I looked around and saw a recipe for peachy curry chicken a few weeks ago. When I went to make this I couldn't find the recipe and all I remember is that it had chicken and peaches in it so this recipe is mine.

With the sweetness of the spice I wanted to add some spice to balance it out. I added some sriracha, chili powder, and pepper flakes to give it a little spiceness. I'm trying to be conscious of our salt intake so I recommend a low-sodium chicken both for this recipe since the spices and herbs give it so much flavor without the added salt.

I know I said my last peach recipe would be the final of the season but when I passed an old man with a farm stand in Maryland last weekend I gave in and bought up the last peaches and tomatoes. In retrospect he overcharged me big time but these chicken dish was worth it.

If you really like curry and have access to different types I recommend experimenting with different blends of yellow and red curry and spices. If not, a standard yellow curry will do. But as always, be creative! It's more fun that way!

 

And since we are coming into Autumn finally you could always replace the fresh peaches for sliced apples. Just remember to add a little more liquid to account for the water from the peaches. (A little more chicken broth will do just fine.)

As most of my recipes, this is for around two maybe three people for dinner. I like making small portions since it is just us and while I usually make a little more for leftovers we end up eating it right away! For a family sized portion, simply double the recipe. This is a great meal for any day of the week!


Crockpot Curry Peach Chicken

Ingredients:

½ lb. chicken tenders
2 peaches, cut into chunks
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup red wine
½ cup gluten-free, low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp. decent yellow curry powder or curry mix
¼ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
A little garlic salt
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
1 tsp. sriracha hot chili sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Garnish: top each plate with a couple peach slices and a little extra fresh cilantro

Directions:

Add all ingredients into crockpot. Mix together well. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours. For the most moist chicken in a hurry, try HIGH for 3 hours and LOW for 1 hour.

Once cooked, shred the chicken and mix together with the the sauce and peaches. Serve over your favorite grain.

Tip: You can leave the chicken unshredded as it gets melt-in-your-mouth tender when whole but you will have more sauce to account for.

I served this curry chicken over quinoa with sauteed asparagus.

Enjoy!

Love,

The College Cuisiner

P.S. This is your last chance to enter the contest for your own tea-infused chocolates or truffles made by Philadelphia Area chocolatier, Designs by Francine. All you have to do give your idea for a tea-infused chocolate creation. Contest ends this Tuesday, September 25th!!

Here's Francine's latest creation: Dark Chocolate Cranberry Orange Truffles made with cranberry tea infusion and orange zest so be creative!

Super Easy Crockpot Chicken Chili

Every time I eat chili I think of Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory declaring that chili doesn't have beans in it and therefore what I'm eating is not chili.
 

Well sorry Sheldon tonight I made chili in a crockpot and it was delicious.

For my birthday, my oldest best friend Nicole bought me a beautiful crockpot and in the spirit of our homemade inspired gift giving she also made a crockpot cookbook including her one favorite recipes and space for the ones I would soon create! Thanks Nicole! 
 

Growing up Nicole's mom made the best crockpot dinners and despite my own mothers efforts she never got the hang of that thing. Sorry mom, you know it is true. Don't even get me started on that chicken kale "dinner" you made over the summer. But with more luck I'm excited to start pumping out delicious crockpot meals.

One big thing with crockpots is that as you are cooking this meal for roughly half a day you have to put in a lot of flavor and be be flexible. I'll probably be calling Nicole's mom for tips!

Just try to limit how often you open the pot. If you have a good crock pot it shouldn't burn and by opening you let out the prescious steam that helps cook your delicious meal!

As I've never experimented much with a crockpot, My chili took some tips from Budget Savvy Diva and Jimmy Fallon but this is my own recipe.

If you want a great meal for your family that literally makes itself give this a try. Because even if this recipe isn't "chili" it's delicious, whatever it is....

Super Easy Crockpot Chicken Chili:

Makes 5-6 servings

 

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, or 5-6 chicken tender pieces
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
3-4 large carrots, peeled and chopped into thin slices
8 oz. can of stewed tomatoes, chili ready or jalepeno variety
8 oz. of canned, frozen, or fresh corn
8.oz can of black beans
1 4 oz. can of tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. olive oil, additional for sauteeing
salt if needed


Optional:
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Fresh lime juice on top
half can of lager beer (requires additional 1 hour HIGH or 2 hours LOW cooking time)

Veggie Tip:

I listed this delicious chili under meatless, vegetarian, and vegan even though I realize there's chicken in it. That's because this recipe is so easily made into all three categories by simply NOT ADDING THE CHICKEN! Simple isn't it?

Directions:

In a large frying pan saute onions and carrots with a drizzle of oil olive until onions become translucent. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add sauteed onions and carrots to crockpot.

In the same pan brown each side of chicken pieces in olive oil until lightly browned (inside will still be raw.) Add chicken to the crockpot.

Add rest of the ingredients to the crockpot and stir. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours.  Cook until well mixed and chili has desired thickness. (cook longer for thicker chili) Take chicken pieces out and shred with a knife and fork. Return shredded chiken to the crockpot and mix well.

Serve and enjoy. (p.s. Don't forget to unplug your crockpot!)

My favorite ways to eat crockpot chili:

topped with a little cheddar cheese and sour cream on top of cilantro lime rice

(cook rice according to package instructions, add 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro once boiled. Add 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about half a good lime) and some garlic salt. Stir. Delicious!)

On top of a baked sweet potato with cheddar cheese and fresh tomatoes. OMG!
My baked sweet potato inspiration from Jenn at Peas and Crayons. So worth the hype!

Or just as leftovers!

I hope you enjoyed my budget friendly and healthy crockpot chicken chili! Let me know if you try it and don't forget...it's gluten free too!

Enjoy!

Love,

The College Cuisiner