Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (29 page)

Vegetable Pork Soup

Naomi Ressler

Harrisonburg, VA

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 25-30 minutes

Cooking Time: 6-7 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1-lb. pork tenderloin, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. oil

28-oz. can diced tomatoes

4 medium carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 medium potatoes, peeled
or
unpeeled, cubed

14½-oz. can chicken broth

¼ cup quick-cooking tapioca

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

⅛ tsp. nutmeg

1. Sprinkle pork with garlic powder. In large skillet, brown pork in oil.

2. Transfer meat to slow cooker.

3. Stir remaining ingredients into pork.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 6-7 hours, or just until pork and vegetables are tender.

5. Discard bay leaves before serving.

Pork Chile

Carol Duree

Salina, KS

Makes 4-5 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-8 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1½-2 lbs. boneless pork ribs,
or
other cut of pork

2 14½-oz. cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1,
or
2 4¼-oz. cans diced green chili peppers, drained

½ cup chopped onion

1,
or
2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. chili powder,
or
to taste

1. Layer ingredients into slow cooker in order given.

2. Cover. Cook on High 4 hours or on Low 6-8 hours, or until pork is tender but not dry.

3. Cut up or shred meat. Stir through chile and serve.

Notes:

1. You can serve this as soup, but we especially like it over rice.

2. You can add a 1-lb. can of your favorite chili beans 30 minutes before end of cooking time.

Black-Eyed Pea Chili

Lena Mae Janes

Lane, KS

Makes 10 servings

Prep. Time: 20-30 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5- to 6-qt.

1 lb. loose pork sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

½ cup celery chopped

4 15-oz. cans black-eyed peas, undrained

14-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

10-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1. Cook sausage in skillet until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Drain sausage on paper towel.

2. Discard all but 2 Tbsp. pan drippings. To these drippings, add onion and celery. Cook until translucent, stirring frequently.

3. Place peas, tomatoes, tomatoes with green chilies, cooked onions and celery, sausage, and chili powder in slow cooker. Stir well.

4. Cover. Cook on High until all ingredients are hot, about an hour. Then turn cooker to Low and cook 1 more hour.

Serving suggestion:
Cornbread sticks
are a great accompaniment to this Chili.

Note:

Black-Eyed Pea Chili, slow-cooked, is a New Year’s must for our household. Black-eyed peas bring good luck, you know!

Asian Pork Soup

Judi Manos

West Islip, NY

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-10 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1 lb. ground pork, chicken,
or
turkey

1 garlic clove, minced

oil

2 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips

4 medium green onions, cut into 1” pieces

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup soy sauce

½ tsp. gingerroot, chopped

⅛ tsp. pepper

49½-oz. can chicken broth

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup bean sprouts

1. Cook meat with garlic in skillet in oil, if needed. Stir frequently to break up clumps of meat. When meat is no longer pink, drain off drippings.

2. Spoon meat and garlic into slow cooker. Stir in all other ingredients except mushrooms and sprouts.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 7-9 hours or on High 3-4 hours.

4. Stir in mushrooms and bean sprouts.

5. Cover. Cook on Low 1 more hour.

Variation:

For added flavor to the meat, add ⅛ tsp. five-spice blend to Step 2.

Lentil Soup with Ham Bone

Rhoda Atzeff

Harrisburg, PA

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-9 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1 lb. dry lentils, washed and drained

1 celery rib, chopped

1 large carrot, grated

½ cup chopped onions

1 bay leaf

¼ tsp. dried thyme

7-8 cups water

1 ham bone, ½ lb. thinly sliced kielbasa,
or
½ lb. hot smoked sausage, sliced

¼-½ tsp. crushed red hot pepper flakes

pepper to taste

salt to taste

1. Combine all ingredients except pepper and salt in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 8-9 hours, or until meat and lentils are tender.

3. Remove bay leaf and ham bone. Allow ham bone to cool. Then dice meat from bone and return to cooker.