Stuffing in the Crockpot

Call it Dressing or call it Stuffing...but whatever you do, be sure you haven't overlooked a post I made last December.  With company and holiday meals in the limelight, now is the time to revisit this one:  Slow Cooker Stuffing.  It's always a favorite at our house. 

Hope your Thanksgiving has been as blessed as mine!  Laurie

Wheat Berry Salad

This is my new favorite summer salad recipe.  I had some leftover grilled chicken, and noticed a jar of wheat berries in my pantry. So I googled "Wheat Berries" on Food Network and came up with a recipe from Healthy Appities with Ellie Kriger.

Of course I changed a few things, but I still need to give her the credit for getting me started.  The first time I made it my fridge was empty of greens, so I left them out and just did the walnuts without toasting them, and changed the cherries to craisins.  And it was good. Comparable to that expensive wheat berry salad sold at Whole Foods.  

Next I made it with all the greens, and to be honest, it was too much. I prefer it with alot less celery, onions and parsley so I cut them in half for the recipe below.  Serve it outside on the patio with grilled chicken for a perfect summer evening meal.

The great thing about this salad it how easy it is! The wheat berries take about an hour, so make them in the morning while you are fixing breakfast, or the night before as you make dinner.

I also like that this salad holds up well for transporting, and that it doesn't wilt or melt in the warm summer sun.  Perfect for picnics!

Here's what you need:

• 1 ½ cups hard wheat berries
• ¾ cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 small stalk celery, finely chopped
• ½ cup dried craisins, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons small green onion, white and green parts, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to prepare:

• In a large pot combine the wheat berries and enough water to come 2 inches over the wheat berries. I used almost 6 cups of water.  Bring this to a boil and cook uncovered for 1 hour, or until tender.

• Drain and let cool.

• While the berries are cooking, chop the veggies. This is where a Pampered Chef Chopper comes in real handy, or look at it as good practice for your knife handling skills.

• In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, walnuts, celery, craisins, green onion, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

See how easy that is!

Sausage Sage Stuffing in the Crockpot

The wonderful thing about this delicious dressing is you make it in the crockpot -  - freeing up oven space;  and you can serve it straight from your crockpot - - one less dish to clean up and stays nice & warm throughout the meal. 

Three ingredients make this a unique dish, but are easily adjustable to your families tastes: rum soaked golden raisins, fresh apples, and sausage.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups celery, chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 ½ tsp sage, dried leaf
• 1 tsp thyme, dried
• 1 ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 egg, beaten
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 small apple, diced
• ½ cup golden raisins, optional
• 1/2 cup rum, optional
• 12 cups dry bread crumbs
• ½ to 1 pound cooked pork sausage, optional

Directions:

If using raisins, cover raisins with about 1/2 cup rum and soak the raisins in the rum for at least 15 minutes or until you finish prepping the celery and onions.

If you desire a richer flavor, saute the celery and onions in the butter. Its a huge savory boost, but also more prep time.  Otherwise, mix butter, celery, onion, spices, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir to toss.
I've found I love to use the celery stalks with the leafy green intact as it addeds texture and nutrients to the dish.

If using sausage, add cooked sausage to spice mixture.

Add the chopped apples. I love the red flecks of color and texture the peeling adds. If you need to be sneaky about adding the apples, peel them.

Drain raisins, discard rum, and add to mixture. Save the rum and add to your coffee mug later in the evening.

Add beaten eggs and broth and blend together.  Homemade broth from a previously made bird can't be surpassed for flavor! But if you're short on time, I highly recommend this Better Than Bouillon as it keeps fresh in the fridge and mixes quickly in hot water...forget the cubes, that is so last year!

Place bread croutons in crockpot. Pour broth mixture over bread; stir to blend.

Cook on high for 45 minutes then reduce to low for up to 4 hours, or cook on high for 2-4 hours. Stir about once an hour.

Notes:

• You may want to add more broth depending on how moist you like your dressing and depending on what altitude you live at.

• Every crockpot cooks differently, so once you know the heat of yours, adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Curried Corn Fritters

 

 Not such a great photo...I took it last minute, but wait till you make it! Oh, this is a keeper!

My family isn't too keen on spicy anything, so I was a bit hesitant when I first read the title of this recipe in a recent book, Tea, by Sarina Jacobson, which I picked up in Ashland while at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.   But once I read the ingredient list, I knew I absolutely had to try it! I used fresh corn from Iowa which my husband cut off the cob for me, and fresh green beans someone so graciously gave us at church. Tonight, all the ingredients came together, and I paired this with grilled salmon.

The big guy loved it! The littlest guy wanted more, more, more please. And the other guy ate it, no comment.

I didn't have curry paste, so just substituted curry powder. And I omitted the cilantro since all I had was parsley. Also, I used non-dairy cheese, so this was dairy free for me.


Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes

Serves:  makes about 10 fritters

Ingredients:

2 cups corn , cooked
½ cup green beans, trimmed & chopped
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped  (I omitted)
2 eggs, large
¼ cup yellow cheese, grated  (I used almond cheese)
¼ cup soft white cheese, cottage, cream, ricotta (I used tofutti cream cheese)
4 tablespoons rice flour
4 tablespoons flour
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons indian curry paste, OR  2 tsp curry powder
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
oil for frying



Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together corn, green beans, cilantro, eggs and cheeses.
In a separate bowl, mix together flours, salt, curry/paste, and brown sugar. Add flour mixture to corn mixture and stir until well combined.

In large frying pan over medium heat, heat 1 tsp of oil. Drop scoops (I use Pampered Chef medium scoop) of batter into the pan about an inch apart and gently press to flatten. Fry about 2 minutes until brown. Flip patties and fry other side until brown.

Transfer to a paper towel on a wire bakers rack to drip off excess oil. Continue frying in batches.

Serve warm with butter and/or honey.