Easy meal ideas? Freezer meals? Crockpot meals?

[Honey Badger]

And do you pre-cook the chicken breasts?

[Clementine]

What is Rotel?

Ro-Tel is a brand name of canned tomatoes with chiles added.

http://www.ro-tel.com/Diced-Tomatoes-Products/Original-Canned-Diced-Tomatoes-and-Chilies

[Clementine]

What are chili beans?

Canned beans that are pre-spiced and/or in a chili-type sauce. They'll say "chili beans" on the label.

Like this: http://www.bushbeans.com/en_US/products/details.jsp?upc=3940001690

[Clementine]

And do you pre-cook the chicken breasts?

Nope.

[LilyLily]

What is Rotel?

You will find it in the canned foods aisle.  It's tomatoes and green chilis and some other stuff.  Chili beans are kidney beans.

[Eco Ellen]

Does anybody have some tried and true vegetarian crockpot recipes? Not chili. I have that.

[LilyLily]

And do you pre-cook the chicken breasts?

No.

[Ice Cream]

What is Rotel?

do a google image search and then buy at the grocery store.  That is what I did.

[seattlegirl]

Does anybody have some tried and true vegetarian crockpot recipes? Not chili. I have that.

Split pea and parsnip soup, from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker:

1 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 large parsnips, peeled, halved, and sliced
1 lb dried green split peas, picked over and rinsed
1 t dried thyme
1 bay leaf
6 cups veggie stock
1 t salt, or to taste
black pepper to taste
1 t Liquid Smoke (optional)

Heat oil in large skillet over med heat, add onion and parsnip, cover and cook until softened, about 5 min.

Transfer to a 4-6 qt slow cooker and add peas, thyme, bay leaf, and stock.  Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours, stirring once during cooking process if possible.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove bay leaf.  Stir in liquid smoke, if using.

[Eco Ellen]

Split pea and parsnip soup, from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker:

1 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 large parsnips, peeled, halved, and sliced
1 lb dried green split peas, picked over and rinsed
1 t dried thyme
1 bay leaf
6 cups veggie stock
1 t salt, or to taste
black pepper to taste
1 t Liquid Smoke (optional)

Heat oil in large skillet over med heat, add onion and parsnip, cover and cook until softened, about 5 min.

Transfer to a 4-6 qt slow cooker and add peas, thyme, bay leaf, and stock.  Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours, stirring once during cooking process if possible.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove bay leaf.  Stir in liquid smoke, if using.

Thank you!
What's the Vegetarian Slow Cooker - any good?  Also, where do you get liquid smoke?

[LilyLily]

Thank you!
What's the Vegetarian Slow Cooker - any good?  Also, where do you get liquid smoke?

Liquid smoke is nasty stuff.  Since it's optional, I'd omit it.  Seriously, it makes me nauseous.

[seattlegirl]

Thank you!
What's the Vegetarian Slow Cooker - any good?  Also, where do you get liquid smoke?

This book:
http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Vegetarian-Slow-Cooker-Recipes/dp/1558322566/ref=la_B000AP9F9W_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1357088570&sr=1-4

It's pretty good, but I've only tried a few recipes from it.

Liquid smoke is in the spice section, in a small bottle.  It's potent, so make sure you don't put too much in!  I liked it in this recipe because I am a meatatarian so am used to split pea soup having a smoky flavor from ham.  You may not miss it. 

[Ice Cream]

I posted on liquid smoke a while ago, and the consensus was that it was not all that bad as people believed it was on first hearing it.
I use it, but not often.

[GreenMan]

Chili beans are kidney beans.

Or red beans, which are shaped slightly different from kidney beans, but for cooking purposes they're pretty much interchangeable.

Gonna try some of these ideas real soon now.

[GreenMan]

This thread inspired me to rummage around in my cupboards to see just what I have on hand, and I found some 15-bean soup I had completely forgotten existed. No time like the present, I guess, so I threw it in the slow cooker with an onion, garlic and some flavorings. We'll see how it came out by lunchtime.

Meanwhile I have red beans, pinto beans, black beans and chickpeas I should be doing something with. I'll cook 'em up and use them in some of this thread's recipes in place of canned beans. Gotta love the slow cooker for that sort of thing.

[Eco Ellen]

I posted on liquid smoke a while ago, and the consensus was that it was not all that bad as people believed it was on first hearing it.
I use it, but not often.

I looked for it in the grocery store on Sunday but couldn't find it.

So chili beans are just kidney beans?  Or is there something special about them?

[Clementine]

So chili beans are just kidney beans?  Or is there something special about them?

No, they're not always kidney beans and they're pre-spiced and/or in a chili-type sauce. They'll say "chili beans" on the label.

Like this: http://www.bushbeans.com/en_US/products/details.jsp?upc=3940001690
(In this case, Bush's Chili Beans are either red beans or pinto beans.)

[Courtney]

Nope.

In fact, I put the chicken breasts in frozen in the morning, and let them cook all day (8-10 hours) and they are good to go. 

Ellen, chili beans are in a sauce that is chili flavored.  You could probably get the regular beans and mix up some chili sauce stuff if you knew how.  Or use a packaged chili seasoning thing. 

I just bought the stuff the other day to mix up a big batch of my own taco seasoning. 

[GreenMan]

This thread inspired me to rummage around in my cupboards to see just what I have on hand, and I found some 15-bean soup I had completely forgotten existed. No time like the present, I guess, so I threw it in the slow cooker with an onion, garlic and some flavorings. We'll see how it came out by lunchtime.

Update: NOM NOM NOM

[Eco Ellen]

Update: NOM NOM NOM

I still haven't opened the slow cooker box.  Is it really all, just dump things into it and turn it on?  Because I am down with that.