Prairie Flavors
Having a newborn in the house means I have less time to devote to meal preparation. To make sure I always have dinner on the table for my family, I spent an hour preparing these fi ve make-ahead, slow cooker meals. I chopped and measured the ingredients, placed them into slow cooker liner bags, labeled the bags and froze them. When I need a quick meal, I simply remove a bag from the freezer, place it into the slow cooker and dinner cooks itself! For make-ahead breakfast ideas, check out Oklahoma Living’s digital edition at
www.ok-living.coop.
Apricot Chicken Serves 4 to 6
✓ 8 chicken thighs, skin removed ✓ 1-ounce package powdered onion soup mix ✓ 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper fl akes (optional) ✓ 1 cup apricot preserves ✓ 1 cup Russian or Catalina salad dressing
Place all of the ingredients into a slow cooker liner bag. Seal and freeze. To cook, place the slow cooker liner into the slow cooker. Cook for 2 to 3 hours on high, or 5 to 6 hours on low, or until the meat reaches 165°F in the center.
Hawaiian Pork Chops Mongolian Beef
Mongolian Beef Serves 4 to 6
✓ 2 pounds beef stew meat ✓ 1 tablespoon minced garlic ✓ 1 tablespoon minced ginger ✓ 1 onion, cut into slices ✓ 1 bell pepper, cut into slices
✓ 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper fl akes (optional) ✓ 1/3 cup brown sugar ✓ 1/3 cup hoisin sauce ✓ ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
✓ 1 tablespoon olive oil ✓ 1 tablespoon sesame oil*
Place all of the ingredients into a slow cooker liner bag. Seal and freeze. To cook, place the slow cooker liner into the slow cooker. Cook for 7 to 8 hours on low, or until the meat is tender. *If you don’t have sesame oil, additional olive oil can be substituted.
Hawaiian Pork Chops Serves 6
✓ 6 pork chops ✓ 1 onion, cut into bite-size chunks ✓ 2 bell peppers, cut into bite-size chunks ✓ 2 teaspoons minced ginger ✓ 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper fl akes (optional) ✓ ¼ cup soy sauce ✓ 1 can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
Place all of the ingredients into a slow cooker liner bag. Seal and freeze. To cook, place the slow cooker liner into the slow cooker. Cook for 3 to 4 hours on high, or 6 to 8 hours on low, until the meat reaches at least 145°F in the center.
SEPTEMBER 2013 35
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