Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Found this on Pinterest and Drew loved it. Took leftovers to work for several days. 

From Rita's Recipes

2 chicken breasts, frozen

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 can corn kernels, do not drain

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix

1 T cumin

1 t chili powder

1 t onion powder

8-oz pkg. cream cheese

_________

Put the chicken in the crock pot.

Top with the tomatoes, corn,

the drained and rinsed beans,

ranch dressing, cumin, onion and chili powders,

stir to combine then top with the cream cheese.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring one or twice

 to blend in the cheese.

Shred the chicken into large pieces

and serve over rice.

Can also serve in tortillas or taco shells.

Taco Casserole

Found this recipe on Pinterest and it turned out to be easy & delicious.  

Adapted from recipe.com

1  lb.  lean ground beef

16 oz. can fat free refried beans

16 oz. salsa

1  recipe Taco Seasoning

2 1/2  c. coarsely broken tortilla chips

1/2  medium bell pepper, chopped 

4 medium green onions, chopped 

A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, sliced

1  c. shredded Mexican cheese

1  c. shredded lettuce

Heat oven to 350* F.  Cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in refried beans, salsa, and taco seasoning mix. Reduce heat to medium. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.  In ungreased 2-quart casserole, place 2 cups of the broken tortilla chips. Top evenly with beef mixture. Sprinkle with bell pepper, onions, & cheese.  Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. Top baked casserole with lettuce, tomatoes, and remaining 1/2 cup tortilla chips.

Taco Seasoning

We were out of the little Kroger packets of taco seasoning last night & I remembered seeing this recipe here.  We used it & actually made fajitas w/ it - it was delicious & I won't buy the packets of seasoning again! 
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder

Edited to add:

Here is the easiest way to make a bunch of it:

4 tbsp. cumin
4 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. red pepper
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder

Use 3 tsp. of this mixture in place of one packet of taco seasoning.

Southwestern Chicken

from Fix It & Forget It: Slow Cooker Magic by Southern Living at Home

2 15.25 oz cans corn, drained
15 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
16 oz jar of chunky salsa, divided
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1. Combine corn, black beans, & 1/2 salsa in slow cooker.
2. Top with chicken. Pour remaining salsa over chicken.
3. Cover & cook on high 3-4 hours or on high 1 hour then on low 5-6 hours.
4. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover 5 minutes for cheese to melt. Serve over rice, if desired.

I only used 3 boneless chickens because they were from Sam's & they were HUGE. I started with frozen chicken & frozen corn, so mine took a full 4 hours on high, but it was delicious & so easy!

Crockpot Taco Soup

1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
2 cans corn
1 large can diced tomoatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with chilis
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet rach dressing mix
2-3 cooked, shredded chicken breast (if desired)
shredded cheese
sour cream

Cook the chicken and shredd with two forks (that's easiest for me).
In the crockpot place all ingredients except for the cheese and sour cream.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours, the longer, the better!
Top your bowl with cheese and sour cream, if desired.

We loved this. I think next time I may put in about 3 cans of tomatoes with chilis or an additional can of chilis. It was really thick and a little spicy, but not too spicy for me. Of course Brandon wanted a little bit more spice. It was low carbs besides the corn and we ate on it for two nights. We will be making this often!!!

Chip Dip

I adapted this from a recipe I found my boss's Weight Watchers booklet... It was delic!

1 avocado
juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
1 can corn
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 bundle green onions
3 tbsp fat free sour cream
3/4 cup medium or hot salsa
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream, salsa, & vinegar until creamy & well blended. Dice the avocado and squeeze a lemon or lime over it (the juice keeps the avocado from browning so quickly). Chop the onions and add all ingredients to the salsa mix. Mix until all the veggies & beans are well coated and serve with tortilla chips.

Delicious & healthy! We had some corn that we had cut off the cob last year & froze, so I used that instead of a can of corn... It was SO GOOD! I will definitely be making this again in the near future... it is a perfect snack or even great for a light lunch!

Mexican Lasagna

Source: Woman's Day, April 14, 2009 issue

2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 lb zucchini, diced
2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with chiles
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed
1 can (11 oz) corn niblets, drained
1 can (10 oz) mild enchilada sauce
5 large whole wheat tortillas
1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar
garnish: fat free sour cream

1. Heat oven to 400. Coat a 3-qt round baking dish w/ nonstick spray.
2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 5 minutes. Add zucchini and cumin, and saute 5 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes, beans, corn, and enchilada sauce; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
3. Put 1 tortilla in baking dish. Top with 1 1/2 cups zucchini mixture; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers 4 times.
4. Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes until bubbly around edges and cheese is melted. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting & serving.

Easy Nacho's

I love recipes you can make over and over and change over and over - its like having a dozen recipes come from one!

Ingredients:
Tortilla chips (5 cups or enough to layer a cookie sheet or pizza sheet)
1# ground beef, shredded beef, or shredded chicken
1 cup salsa
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 to 3 TBSP Taco seasoning(optional)
2 cups of shredded cheese
Optional toppings - anything you like on your nacho's!

Preheat oven to 350F

Cook beef or chicken in skillet over medium heat. Drain off fat. Add black beans, salsa, and taco seasoning if desired. Stir until mixed thoroughly.

Option 1:
Layer a cookie or pizza sheet with all the tortilla chips. Sprinkle beef mixture over chips. Cover with cheese. Bake at 350F for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted (the longer it bakes the crispier the chips and cheese get!). Remove from oven and top with desired toppings.

Option 2:
Layer a cookie or pizza sheet with half the tortilla chips. Sprinkle half the beef mixture over chips followed by half the cheese. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven. Cover with remaining chips, beef mixture, and cheese. Bake again at 350F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with desired toppings.

Frank's Chicken Enchiladas

2-3 large chicken breasts
1 large can cream of mushroom soup
1 large bag mexican shredded cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 small onion
1 tbsp butter

1 small can green chiles
salsa
a few dashes of garlic powder (optional)
6 flour tortillas


Cut chicken into small bite-sized cubes & saute. Season with garlic powder (still optional). While it is cooking, saute onion with butter. When onions are done (golden), add the cream of mushroom, sour cream, green chiles, and about 1/2 of the bag of shredded cheese. Mix until cheese is melted & add some salsa for flavor, if desired. Separate about 1/4-1/3 of the mix & add the chicken to the bigger half of the sauce. Grease a 9-13 baking dish & fill about 6 tortillas evenly with the chicken & sauce mixture. Place in pan with folded side down. Use the mix that you had set off to the side to cover the top of the enchiladas in the pan, & add the rest of the cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes @ 350 degrees. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

I tried to make this from memory the other night (Frank was supposed to come cook for us but came late so I just went ahead & cooked so it'd be ready when he got here) & forgot the sour cream. It tasted pretty much exactly the same, so if you're looking to make it slightly healthier, you can omit sour cream! Enjoy! :)

Taco Soup

Ok, I'm kicking off the recipe blog w/ one of my favorite soups I've made (so far)... Taco Soup! It's so fast & easy & just plain good. With the arrival of true fall weather, I wanted to start making some hearty soups for chilly evenings. Drew has been working late on campus, so last night I ran some errands, & when I got home, I made taco soup & it was hot & ready when he got home... Perfect! :) It's so easy, you may not be able to handle it... Ready?

1 big box of chicken broth
1 jar of your favorite salsa (not too spicy unless you want very spicy soup!)
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 lb ground meat (I've used turkey and chicken, and I'm sure beef is good too)
32-ounce bag of mixed veggies

Combine everything except the ground meat in a pot & simmer. Pour meat in after browning... let simmer. Top w/ sour cream & chips & cheese! :) Delic!

Update: I made this in the crockpot for the first time the other night & it turned out pretty good. Definitely easy. I did brown the meat first, however, I don't think it is necessary depending on how long you cook everything. I cooked it for 9+ hours on low, because that is how long we were away from the house. Enjoy! :)