I love cooking…nine months of the year. I absolutely despise it in the summer. My family frequently eats scrambled eggs with whatever vegetables I have sitting around for dinner. There are too many fun things to do outside to hole up in the kitchen. I’ve decided to look up summer crockpot recipes to try out. Recipes that feel light and fresh and require very little effort. Do you have any tried and true recipes to share for the hotter months of the year?
Crockpot Low County Boil from familyfreshmeals.com
Ingredients
1.5 lbs small red potatoes (cut in half)
5 cups of water
1 bottle (12 oz) beer (you can also sub in broth)
1/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, cut into quarters
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 lemons, cut in half
1 lb cooked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 fresh cobs of corn, cut into 3-inch chunks
2 lb fresh, uncooked large shrimp in shells
Optional : Cocktail sauce, fresh lemon slices, Cajun seasoning
Directions
- Start by spraying a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add in water, beer, Old Bay Seasoning, and garlic. Stir until well combined.
- Place potatoes, onion and celery in slow cooker and squeeze lemons over mixture in slow cooker.
- Place lemon halves to slow cooker.
- Cover the crockpot and cook on Low heat setting 4-5 hours.
- Add sausage and corn, cover and cook 2 hours longer.
- Increase heat setting to HIGH and add in your shrimp. Your crockpot will be very full, so do your best to stir a little and squeeze your shrimp in ? Cover and cook 30-40 minutes or until shrimp are pink.
Coconut Lime Chicken by slowcookergourmet.net
Ingredients
3 pounds chicken (bone-in, skin-on, I mixed thighs and drumsticks)
13.5 oz can coconut milk or lite coconut milk
½ cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon curry powder
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
- Place chicken in crock
- In a mixing bowl whisk remaining ingredients
- Pour over chicken
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8
- Optional (but recommended) place cooked chicken on foil lined broiler pan and broil for 3-8 minutes. Keep an eye on it and take it out as soon as it starts to brown up.
Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken by delish.com
Ingredients
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. cayenne pepper sauce (such as Frank’s)
1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 packet ranch seasoning mix
1 tbsp. brown sugar
12 slider buns, for serving
Coleslaw, for serving
Ranch dressing, for serving
Directions
- Place chicken in slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce, chicken broth, Ranch mix, and brown sugar and toss to coat.
- Cook on high, stirring occasionally, for 4 hours (or low for 8 hours).
- Remove chicken, shred, then return to the slow cooker to coat in sauce.
- Add to slider buns and top with coleslaw and a drizzle of Ranch.
Slow-Cooker Quinoa Risotto with Carrots and Asparagus by delish.com
Ingredients
1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c. quinoa, rinsed
2 c. low-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large carrots, sliced into rounds
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and quartered
2 c. peas, frozen or canned
Directions
- In a slow-cooker, combine chicken, quinoa, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, garlic and carrots. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Cook on high 4 hours, until chicken is easily shreddable. Shred chicken, then add asparagus and peas to slow-cooker and cook until tender, 30 minutes more.
- Pour over remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir until creamy.
Slow Cooker Black Bean Enchilada by thekitchn.com
Onion
bell pepper
canned black beans
frozen corn
chili powder
cumin
salt
cheese
salsa
flour or corn tortillas
Optional leftover meat or chicken
Directions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, pepper, black beans, corn, spices, meat (if using), and just 1/2 cup of the cheese. Spread a cup or so of salsa over the bottom of a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker, enough to evenly coat the bottom with a bit of sauce. (See the Recipe Note below for cooking in smaller slow cookers.)
- Fill each of the tortillas with about 1/3 cup of the filling, roll them up as tightly as you can, and pack them seam-side down into the bottom of the slow cooker. Don’t worry if some filling falls out — just tuck it back in once you’ve set the tortilla down.
- When you complete the layer, spread another cup of salsa over the top and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of the remaining cheese. Continue rolling the remaining tortillas with the remaining filling to make one more layer; if you have leftover filling, sprinkle this over the top. Finish by pouring another cup of salsa over the top of the enchiladas. Reserve the last 1/2 cup of cheese to add later.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 to 4 hours. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top, re-cover the slow cooker, and finish cooking.
- Serve the enchiladas with any remaining salsa. Leftovers will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
