Pumpkin Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
Cinnamon to taste
Pumpkin pie spice to taste
Brown sugar or honey to taste
1 Tbs chopped walnuts

1. In a saucepan stir oats, milk, pumpkin puree, spices, and brown sugar over medium heat.
2. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 min or until oatmeal reaches desired consistency.
3. Transfer to bowl and add walnuts and additional spices or sugar to taste.
** This recipe is for one serving; increase quantity of ingredients for additional servings!**

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
1 (3 lb) pork shoulder
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c chicken broth
2 c BBQ sauce
2 Tbs mustard
2 Tbs honey
1 Tbs soy sauce
Cumin
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Brown sugar
Salt and pepper

1. Trim pork of excess fat.  Rub pork with cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add onions to bottom of slow cooker and place pork on top.  Add broth, cover, and cook for 5-6 hours on high (or until pork is very tender)
3. Remove pork and shred with two forks.  Remove excess fat and return to slow cooker.
4. Add BBQ sauce, mustard, honey, and soy sauce.  Season with salt and pepper as well as other spices to taste.  Cook for 30-60 min longer on low.

Slow Cooker Maple Dijon Chicken

Ingredients:
4 tsp brown sugar
4 chicken thighs
2 Tb butter
1/3 c maple syrup
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
4 Tbs dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp oregano
zest of 1 orange
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a bowl mix together syrup, mustard, vinegar, garlic, rosemary, oregano, orange zest, and salt and pepper.
2. Work brown sugar into chicken thighs, about 1 tsp per thigh.  Season with salt and pepper.
3. Melt butter is a skillet and brown chicken thighs for 2-3 min per side.
4. Place thighs in slow cooker and cover with maple syrup mixture.  Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
5. Remove chicken and shred.
6. Thicken sauce with corn starch if needed, then pour over shredded chicken, enough to moisten without drowning.
7. Serve with rice.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 t cinammon
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
4 eggs
2 c sugar
2 c canned pumpkin
1 1/2 c oil
2 c chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
2. In another bowl beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil.
3. Stir in dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Pour into two greased loaf pans and bake at 350° F for 60-70 min or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

** Yields two loaves**

Italian Sausage in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
3-4 italian sausages, removed from casing and crumbled
1/2 c diced red onions
1 Tbs chopped garlic
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs oregano
Pasta, cooked

1. In a large pan, cook sausage over medium heat until sausage starts to brown (about 5 min)
2. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and place in a separate bowl
3. To the fat, add the onions, garlic, salt and cayenne and cook until soft, about 3 min
4. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the tomato paste, and the oregano and cook, starring until thick and fragrant (about 15-20 min)
5. Add sausage and adjust seasoning to taste.  Serve with pasta

Chili Lime Chicken Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground chicken
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 lime, cut in half

1. Combine chicken, green onions, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and juice of half a lime in a large bowl. 

2. Mix until thoroughly combined, then form into 4 patties and spray each side generously with non-stick spray.

1. 3. Heat a large grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Grill burgers for 3-4 minutes a side, or until cooked all the way through. 

Moroccan Chicken and Vegetable Couscous

Ingredients:
4 carrots, sliced
2 large onions, sliced
Other vegetables if desired (squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes)
2 lbs chicken thighs or breasts
1 can chicken broth
2 Tb tomato paste
1 can diced tomatos
2 Tb flour
2 Tb lemon juice
2 Tb honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinammon
1 tsp coriander
Salt and pepper to taste

For couscous:
1 box couscous
3 cups mixed cut up vegetables (carrots, zucchini, onion, etc)
Cumin
Coriander
Salt and pepper
Chicken broth (per amount on couscous box)

1. Season chicken with salt and other spices, then brown in large pan.  Add to slow cooker.
2. Place onions, carrots, and other vegetables in slow cooker.  Add the can of diced tomatoes.
3. In a bowl, whisk broth, tomato paste, flour, lemon juice, garlic, honey,  and spices.  Add to slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
5. Serve over couscous

For couscous:
1. Add oil to skillet and saute vegetables for about 3 min.  Season with spices.
2. Add broth and bring to a boil.
3. Add couscous and turn off heat.   Cover and let sit for 5 min, then fluff with a fork.
4. Add more seasoning to taste.

Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 10-oz can tomato sauce
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tb salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp oregano
1 onion, diced
1 c heavy cream
4 cups chicken stock
For Roux:
3 Tb butter
1/4 c flour
1 c heavy cream

1. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, onion, spice, heavy cream, and chicken stock to the crock pot.
2. Stir, then cover and cook 6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.
3. Transfer chunky parts of soup to blender and puree soup until smooth.  Return to crock pot.
4. Make roux by melting butter in saucepan and adding flour and heavy cream; stir until smooth.
5. Add roux to crockpot and stir; cook for another 20-30 min.
6. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t basil
1/4 t cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
4 c chicken stock
2 c frozen corn
1/2 c heavy cream
1/4 c flour
3 Tb butter
2 Tb parsley
2 c wild rice, pre-made

1. Heat some oil in a large pot; add shrimp and cook until pink (about 2-3 min).  Set aside.
2. Add garlic and onion to the stockpot and cook, stirring frequently until onions become translucent (2-3 min).  Stir in salt and pepper, cayenne, oregano, and basil and cook another 1-2 min.
3. Whisk in chicken stock and corn and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 min.
4. Add 1/4 c heavy cream and puree with a blender.
5. Make a roux by melting butter with flour and other 1/4 c of heavy cream.  Add the roux to the soup and then stir in shrimp.
6. Stir in wild rice, then serve.