Black Eyed Pea Tacos

I make these all the time. They rule. Thank you Martha Stewart for bringing these into my life. 'Nuff said.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno chile, minced (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, heated
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled, shredded lettuce, salsa, and sliced radishes, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add peas, corn, and 2 cups water. Simmer over medium-high heat until corn is tender and most liquid has evaporated, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro; season again with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
3. To serve, fill heated tortillas with black-eyed pea mixture, goat cheese, and garnishes, as desired.

Black Eyed Pea Tacos

Slow Cooker Potato Corn Chowder

This soup was an adventure! I was trying to "vegetarianize" a recipe I had found on A Busy Mom's Slow Cooker Adventures.  I switched up a couple of the ingredients that weren't vegetarian and after it cooking all day, something just wasn't quite right. There was a flavor missing and I couldn't quite place it. My husband tasted it and told me to throw in a half bag of frozen corn. We let the corn heat through and topped our bowls with some shredded cheddar cheese and YUM! It was a success! You could probably even throw the cheese right in the pot at the end, but we have a little tummy in the house that is sensitive to dairy. :)

Ingredients

6 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
1/2 block of low-fat cream cheese
8 oz frozen corn
shredded cheddar cheese for serving

Directions

-Put potatoes, onions, and cream cheese in your slow cooker
-In a separate bowl, mix together everything else and then pour it into the slow cooker as well.
-Cook on LOW for 9-10 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours

-Serve topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, or whatever your heart desires! :)

Slow Cooker Potato Corn Chowder

Slow Cooker Curried Lentil and Chickpea Stew

I found this recipe in this month's All You magazine and it turned out so great! Mine came out pretty thick, and I didn't have extra broth to thin it out, but once I added salt and pepper to my bowl it was delicious!
(By the way, can you tell I loooooove cooking in my crock pot yet?) ;)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 cup uncooked ong-grain brown rice (I used white rice with no problems)
• 1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup dried green lentils  (I used brown and they worked just fine!) 
• Salt and pepper
• 1 15.5-oz. can chickpeas, drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional

Directions

-Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
-Add carrots, celery and onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
-Stir in curry powder and sauté until blended and fragrant, about 1 minute.
-Add rice and stir to coat. Stir in tomatoes and broth.
-Bring to a simmer, then pour into slow cooker.
-Stir in lentils.
-Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
-Add chickpeas, cover and cook until lentils and rice are tender, about 1 hour longer. (If stew looks dry when you add chickpeas, add more broth.)
-Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley, if desired, before serving.

Slow Cooker Curried Lentil and Chickpea Stew