Slow Cooker Tuscan chicken and white bean soup

You know that feeling when the nights become cooler all of a sudden? The evenings get darker earlier... all signs pointing to fall approaching! I had a night like that the other night. When that happens the first thing that I want to eat is a comforting homemade soup. I really want to expand my soup repertoire this year so I chose a new recipe called Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken White Bean soup. Any soup I can make in the slow cooker is a win-win in my book. If I put the work in at the beginning then I get to just sit back until the final step in serving it up. I am also win with the slow cooker because I can smell the deliciousness coming from it throughout my house all day! YUM! This recipe delivered that satisfying comfort food feel without the unhealthy elements. It was a very nutritious filling soup. The recipe calls for fresh Parmesan cheese on top but I substituted fresh shredded mozzarella from my cheese grater. It was definitely a good choice.  You can also prep this ahead of time into a delicious freezer meal!

Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken and White Bean Soup

Didn't this turn out to be a delicious looking soup?!

PREP TIME

20 mins

COOK TIME

8 hours

TOTAL TIME

8 hours 20 mins

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

·                        2 (15-oz.) cans white beans, drained and rinsed

·                        1 (15-oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (do not drain)

·                        2 cups sliced carrots

·                        1.5 cups diced celery

·                        ½ cup diced white onion

·                        1 garlic clove, minced

·                        2 bay leaves

·                        1 tsp. dried oregano

·                        1 tsp. dried thyme

·                        1 tsp. dried rosemary (crush in hand)

·                        ½ tsp. salt

·                        ¼ tsp. pepper

·                        1 (32-oz.) box chicken broth

·                        1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts

INSTRUCTIONS

To make this into a freezer meal:

1.                Place everything into a gallon-sized Ziplock bag, squeeze out air before sealing. Freeze for up to a month. Thaw in fridge for 36 hours, then follow cooking directions below.

Cooking instructions:

1.                Add everything to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Discard bay leaves. Shred the chicken with two forks right in the slow cooker. Serve topped with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

One Pan Autumn Chicken Dinner

It's finally fall!! Fall is my favorite time of the year. It's not just the cooler temperatures, changing colors, and the fall festivities... but the smells and tastes of the season! I love apple, pumpkin, and cranberry everything!!!! For the last few weeks I have been working in my kitchen already delighting in apple pumpkin dishes. We have made pumpkin-apple butter, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice cake, and homemade apple sauce just to name a few. But it's more than just apples and pumpkins. Last week I made a one pan dish that was the very essence of fall flavors -- and very easy to make! The recipe is from one of my favorite food blogs called Cooking Classy. 

How beautiful is this dish?! So many beautiful colors!

One Pan 

Autumn 

Chicken Dinner

Yield: About 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 - 5 (6 - 7 oz) bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp each minced fresh thyme, sage and rosemary, plus more for serving
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large sweet potato (peeled if desired), chopped into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, sliced into halves
• 2 fuji apples, cored and sliced into half moons about 3/4-inch thick
• 2 shallot bulbs, peeled and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
• 4 slices hickory smoked bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour 2 Tbsp olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and herbs into a gallon size resealable bag, add chicken, season with salt and pepper then seal bag and massage mixture over chicken while working to evenly distribute herbs. Set aside and let rest while chopping veggies.
• Place sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, apples and shallot on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil then toss to evenly coat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread into an even layer then set chicken over veggie/fruit mixture. Sprinkle bacon (separate any pieces that stick together) evenly over veggie/fruit mixture. Roast in preheated oven until chicken and veggies are golden brown, about 30 minutes (chicken should register 165 in center). Broil during last few minutes for a more golden skin on chicken if desired. Sprinkle with more herbs and serve immediately.
• Recipe source: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2015/10/one-pan-autumn-chicken-dinner/

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix

I absolutely love fall! It is my absolute favorite time of year!! There is just something about the crisp cool air, the beautiful colors around, festivals, and of course pumpkin-spiced EVERYTHING! My husband runs the Libby's pumpkin plant so we have our fair share of pumpkin recipes around here, but I love just the flavor of pumpkin spice as well! Starbucks revolutionized pumpkin spice flavor with their Pumpkin Spice Lattes and since then the market has grown! Pumpkin spice cheerios, pumpkin spice oatmeal, pumpkin spice chocolate kisses, etc..... the desire for pumpkin-spice is HUGE!
I love Chex Mix as much as the next person, especially when I can make it in my slow cooker! I love the basic original recipe with the brown sugar, Worcestershire, butter, etc. But I came across a new recipe for slow cooker pumpkin spice chex mix. With September starting this past week I couldn't resist making it to taste the flavors of fall! So yesterday I decided to make this delectable snack mix with my daughter Lucy. She loves to help me pour all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and stir it. So it was a good activity for the two of us to do together. After the mix had cooled so we could try it we were in love! The snack mix won't last long around here but at least it's easy to make. If you make it you won't be able to stop!
So here is our new fall staple snack in our household..... will it be part of yours???
NOTE: There are several things you can add to this mix or leave out making it a custom snack for your family. I used Rice Chex, Whole Wheat Chex, Plain peanuts, Ancient Grains Cheerios, pretzel sticks, raisins, and cherry craisins for my mix ins.

CROCK-POT MAPLE PUMPKIN SPICE 

CHEX MIX

My Chex Mix in a gallon ziplock. 

Recipe courtesy of: 

http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/10/crock-pot-maple-pumpkin-spice-chex-mix.html

YIELD: about 8 cups

 

PREP TIME: 5 minutes

 

COOK TIME: about 2 hours

 

TOTAL TIME: about 2 hours, overnight is better for drying

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups Chex cereal (I used 3 cups each Rice Chex and a storebrand honey-nut Chex; try Cheerios, Golden Grahams, etc.)
2 cups dried fruit (I used 1 cup each dried cranberries and dried cherries; try (golden) raisins, etc.)
1 1/2 to 2 cups nuts (I used 3/4 cup each honey-roasted cashews and honey-roasted peanuts)
1 1/2 to 2 cups pretzels
1 1/2 chopped graham crackers, diced in large 1-inch pieces (about 5 full-size graham crackers)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup (I used sugar-free pancake syrup)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 to 2+ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
salt, optional and to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a 5 to 6-quart Crock-Pot, add cereal, dried fruit, nuts, pretzels, and graham crackers. Recipe is very flexible. If you don't have something, don't like something, etc. use something you do have on hand or omit.
2. In a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
3. Add the maple syrup, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice (I used 1 tablespoon but recommend at least 2 tablespoons if you want a more pronounced pumpkin flavor), vanilla, optional salt, and whisk to combine.
4. Slowly and evenly drizzle wet mixture over the dry ingredients in Crock-Pot and stir very well to combine. I use a silicon-tipped spatula so I don't break the cereal.
5. Cook covered on high power for about 2 hours, stirring well every 15 to 20 minutes. Start keeping a more careful eye on mix at about 1 1/2 hours to make sure pieces on bottom don't start burning. All slow-cookers and ingredients vary, and cooking times will vary. Cook until there's no visible liquid pooling and pieces have dried out. They will not be 'dry' and will be more on the sticky and tacky side even when done, but do dry out more as they cool. Note - Although I haven't tested it, you could probably bake in a 250F oven, with the mixture divided between two baking trays. Keep a very watchful eye on it and toss every 15 minutes until it's done.
6. Turn mixture out onto baking tray and allow to dry for at least 2 hours, overnight is better. Mix will keep airtight for up to 5 days.

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.