Atkins and Paleo Challenge Box Set (10 in 1): Over 400 Atkins and Paleo Recipes With Pressure, Slow Cooker and Cast Iron for Busy People (Atkins Diet & Paleo Recipes) (56 page)

I love how this recipe is a complete package—it is a great source of protein while still being low carb. Plus, it is a fun meal to prepare, especially when it served. I added this to our lunch during a slow weekend. It took me about less than 15 minutes to prepare it. When I served it, everybody was delighted to find the juicy beef that was wrapped around the cabbage roll.

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
  
• 2 garlic cloves
  
• 12 cabbage leaves
  
• 1 cup unsweetened marinara sauce
  
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
  
• ½ tsp pepper
  

Instructions:

1. Boil water in a saucepan and add the cabbage leaves
   
2. Cook for 3 minutes and set aside
   
3. Put in a bowl, beef, garlic, cheese and pepper, mix until well combined
   
4. Take one leaf at a time, scoop ¼ cup of the beef mixture and put on one edge of the leaf
   
5. Roll the side of the lead with the beef all the way to the other end of the leaf, set aside
   
6. Pour ½ of the sauce into the slow cooker
   
7. Lay the cabbage rolls into the slow cooker
   
8. Pour remaining ½ of the sauce into the slow cooker
   
9. Cover and cook for 5 hours on high
   

I always had trouble getting my beef roast to be as tender as I would want it. For one reason or another, it is still tough even after several pounding and longer time cooking. I got a tip from one my neighbors, vinegar, or more specifically, apple cider will do the job. Adding a few tablespoons of vinegar can make all the difference. I tried it with this recipe and then as expected, the meat was not tough at all. It was tender while still being juicy and tasty.

Servings: 5

Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef roast
  
• 4 garlic cloves
  
• 2 tbsp vinegar, apple cider
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Instructions:

1. Put the beef roast in a skillet, cook until all sides, except the top, is seared
   
2. Add the beef to the slow cooker
   
3. Make sure that the unseared side is facing up, this allows better absorption of the ingredients
   
4. Pour water right until it reaches half the level of the meat
   
5. Slice the garlic and sprinkle on top of the beef, the unseared side
   
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
   
7. Cover and cook for 4 hours on low
   
8. Take the meat and cut into manageable slices
   
9. Arrange the slices on the plate
   
10. Serve
    

Pork chops can be a boring meal, but when I skipped the usual deep fried and breaded version, it was an instant hit. Instead of being dry and tasteless, I tweaked the recipe a bit to make it creamy and richer than its boring counterpart. I usually add a side of mashed potatoes or half cooked vegetables to match this recipe.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 6 pork chops
  
• 2 cans cream of mushroom
  
• 1 ranch dressing mix
  
• ½ can of water
  

Instructions:

1. Put all ingredients into the slow cooker
   
2. Stir directly in the pot of the slow cooker and mix until well combined
   
3. Cover and cook for 7 hours on low
   
4. Serve
   

In this chapter, you will learn the recipes for:

• Chicken and Asparagus
  
• Chipotle Chicken
  
• Citrus Chicken
  
• Roasted Chicken
  
• Chicken and Cream Cheese
  
• Fajitas
  
• Chicken and Veggies
  
• Chicken in Apricot Glaze
  
• Chili Chicken
  
• Sriracha Chicken
  

With my slow cooker, I discovered that this classic meal can be easily prepared with almost no effort at all. Plus, when I was cooking this meal the old fashion way, it took more time and the results were a drier chicken. When I used a slow cooker, it kept the flavors of the chicken intact. I always like to pair my chicken with asparagus and drizzle it with a combination of lemon juice and pepper.

Servings: 4:

• 1 lb chicken thighs, debone and skinned
  
• 1 lemon
  
• 1 lb asparagus
  
• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• ¼ tsp thyme
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Instructions:

1. Put chicken thighs in slow cooker
   
2. Take 1 tbsp of olive oil and drizzle evenly on thighs
   
3. Sprinkle the thyme and add salt to taste
   
4. Cut lemon in half and put wedges on top of chicken
   
5. Arrange the asparagus on top
   
6. Drizzle with remaining olive oil
   
7. Sprinkle pepper
   
8. Cover and cook for 6 hours on low
   
9. Serve
   

One weekend, I tasted this great chipotle chicken in a Mexican restaurant downtown. I will never forget that smoky taste of the chicken combined with the other spices. I tried to ask for the recipe, and as expected, it was said to be the restaurant’s secret. So, I ordered another serving and had it to go. With my palate clean, I gave it another go, and I managed to identify the ingredients. I am pretty sure I missed some, but after cooking it, I must say that the result is close to the
real
one. With the use of the slow cooker, the leftover juices from the cooking can even be kept as chicken stock.

Servings: 8:

• 1 whole chicken
  
• 1 onion
  
• ½ tsp chipotle powder
  
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
  
• ½ tsp garlic powder
  

Instructions:

1. Slice onion into rings and arrange them on the bottom of the slow cooker pot
   
2. Put in a bowl, garlic powder, paprika and chipotle powder, mix until well combined
   
3. Clean the chicken and remove any insides
   
4. Put the chicken on a flat surface and rub the spice mixture over the surface
   
5. Rub the mixture in the inside of the chicken
   
6. Put chicken on top of slow cooker pot
   
7. Cover and cook for 5 hours on high
   
8. Take the chicken from the pot, the meat will separate from the bones
   
9. Debone the whole chicken
   
10. Serve
    

I know that every fruit added to the slow cooker will infuse the main ingredient with its flavors. I tried lemon and apple before and this time, I wanted to try something citrusy. So with the last remaining piece of orange in the pantry, I decided to try it with chicken.

Servings: 4:

• 2 lbs chicken thighs
  
• 2 tsp herbs de provence
  
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  
• 1 orange
  
• 1 tsp salt
  

Instructions:

1. Put chicken in slow cooker
   
2. Rub mustard on the chicken
   
3. Sprinkle herbs and salt on the chicken
   
4. Slice the orange into 4 slices and lay on top of chicken
   
5. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low
   
6. Serve
   

I was doing some spring cleaning on my pantry, and I saw this bottle of rosemary on one of the shelves, and I took it straight away. I did not exactly know what I will do with it, but since I have always heard about how tasty anything with rosemary becomes, I made it sure that I will find a way to add it to my next recipe.

Servings: 4

• 1 whole chicken
  
• 1 onion
  
• 8 cloves garlic
  
• 1 tsp sage
  
• 1 tsp thyme
  
• 1 tsp rosemary
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Instructions:

1. Clean chicken by removing insides and rinse it with running water
   
2. Cut onions into small cubes
   
3. Stuff cubes into the cavity of the chicken
   
4. Cut cloves of garlic into smaller pieces and add to stuffing
   
5. Put in a bowl, rosemary, sage, and thyme, mix until well combined
   
6. Take chicken and rub spice mixture
   
7. Put chicken in slow cooker
   
8. Cover and cook for 6 hours on high
   
9. Serve
   

This is another recipe that I love to make every time I have leftovers. Plus, it is also one of the colorful dishes that can be prepared in a slow cooker. The red, yellows and whites of the ingredients make an interesting combination when served on a plate. Of course, it is delicious at the same time. I prefer chicken breasts with this, but you can choose your preferred part. I would avoid wings though as they do not have enough meat to absorb the flavors of the beans and the salsa.

Servings: 4

• 4 chicken breasts, deboned and frozen
  
• 8 oz cream cheese
  
• 15 oz salsa
  
• 15 0z corn
  
• 15 oz black beans
  

Instructions:

1. Put frozen chicken into slow cooker
   
2. Drain the beans and the corn and add to slow cooker
   
3. Pour salsa
   
4. Cover and cook for 5 hours on high
   
5. Keep cheese as is and drop into slow cooker
   
6. Turn off cooker and allow to it to sit for another half hour
   
7. Serve
   

Whenever we go out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant, fajitas are always our first order. Since it is a family favorite, I tried to make up my own recipe that recreates those flavors. My crock pot is up to the challenge. The delicious aromas and flavors of the chicken and the spices are all intact. At first, I was worried that I may not be able to imitate the flavors. When I served the fajitas, my family really liked it.

Servings: 4

• 1 lb chicken breasts, deboned and skinned
  
• 1 red, yellow and green bell peppers
  
• 1 onion
  
• ½ cup chicken broth gluten free
  
• 1 fajita seasoning
  

Instructions:

1. Cut the bell peppers into thin slices
   
2. Arrange the bell peppers in the bottom of the slow cooker pot
   
3. Cut the onion into rings
   
4. Arrange with the peppers
   
5. Sprinkle the fajita seasoning on top of the bell peppers and onions
   
6. Add the chicken breasts
   
7. Pour the chicken broth
   
8. Cover and cook for 4 hours on low
   
9. Take the chicken from the slow cook and allow to cool
   
10. Shred the chicken using forks
    
11. Put back the shredded chicken meat into the slow cooker
    
12. Mix with the meat with the onions and bell peppers
    
13. Take the meat and add to preferred side dish
    
14. Serve
    

Chicken stock has always been my secret ingredient for every slow cooker chicken recipe that I have. The stock adds that much-needed flavor to make the result even tastier. The best chicken stock is still the one that you make your own using your preferred ingredients. The great thing about this recipe is that it gives you two dishes in one. First is the actual chicken and the second is that the leftover ingredients that can be used to make chicken stock.

Servings: 6

• 1 and ½ lb chicken
  
• 1 carrot
  
• 1 onion
  
• 1 lemon
  
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Instructions:

1. Cut onion and carrots into large chunks
   
2. Arrange in bottom of slow cooker pot
   
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper to the veggies
   
4. Cut the chicken into smaller parts
   
5. Arrange on top of the veggies
   
6. Squeeze ½ of the lemon juice over the chicken
   
7. Squeeze remaining half of the lemon on the sides of the pot
   
8. Leave the lemon in the pot
   
9. Cover and cook for 1 hour on high
   
10. Lower heat to low and cook for another 7 hours
    
11. Remove the chicken and roast in an oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until chicken is brown
    
12. Put chicken on flat surface and carve into smaller pieces
    
13. Take the bones and put it into the slow cooker pot
    
14. Keep the juices on the slow cooker pot
    
15. Add ½ cup of water or enough water until all bones are covered
    
16. Add apple cider vinegar
    
17. Cover and cook for 1 hour on low
    
18. Pour stock into strainer to filter
    
19. Allow stock to cool and refrigerate