DOLCE LIFESTYLE:
Dolce Diet Slow-Cooker Recipes
by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD
Are you crunched for time? Having a guest over last minute and want a nice, home-cooked meal? Or maybe you don’t like the idea of simply reheating food all week. Well, here are some of our favorite Dolce Diet recipes modified for the slow cooker! The slow cooker, Crock-Pot, is a great kitchen tool because it leaves meats and veggies super tender by slow cooking and allowing moisture to stay within the pot. All you have to do is prep the ingredients the night before. In the morning, put the ingredients for our slow-cooker recipes in the Crock-Pot, set it to cook and that’s it! It does all the work for you!
Crockpot Fighter Fajitas
Serves 9
Ingredients
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 orange bell pepper, julienned
• 1 green bell pepper, julienned
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced and halved
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ½ tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• ¾ tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• ¾ tsp. black pepper
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp. honey
• Whole wheat tortillas, cheese, avocado for serving
Directions
• Pour half of canned tomatoes into bottom of crockpot and spread into even later. Top with half of the peppers and onions. Sprinkle in garlic. Top with chicken.
• In a bowl, whisk chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper. Sprinkle half the seasoning over chicken, then flip chicken and sprinkle the rest. Top with remaining tomatoes, then layer with peppers and onion.
• Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender (For strips, cook on lower end of time at either heat setting. For shredded chicken, cook on higher end of time at either heat setting).
• Remove chicken and cut or shred. Ladle out 1 cup of brother (tomato liquid) and discard. In small bowl, whisk lime juice and honey and add to slow cooker along with chicken. Gently toss and serve.
Crockpot Champion Chili
Serves 6-7
Ingredients
• 1 tbsp. grapeseed oil
• 2 lbs. lean ground turkey
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 3 8-oz. cans organic tomato sauce
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 ½ tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. ground coriander
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Cheese, green onions, cilantro, or hot sauce for serving
Directions
• Heat grapeseed oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute 30 more seconds. Pour onions into 6 or 7 quart crockpot.
• Return skillet to medium-high heat, add turkey and cook until browned. Drain most fat from turkey and transfer to crockpot.
• Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, ½ cup water, chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander and season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Stir mixture, cover with lid and cook on LOW heat for 5 – 6 hours.
• Stir in beans and allow to heat through, about 10 minutes. Serve warm with desired toppings.
Crockpot Skinny Sumo Stir-Fry
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 1 head broccoli
• 1-2 green or red peppers
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 thin slices of peeled ginger
• onion
• carrots
• *snow peas
• *mushrooms
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. grapeseed oil
• ½ c. organic vegetable broth
• ¼ c. low-sodium soy sauce
• ½-1 tsp. coconut sugar
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 lb. chicken
• Brown rice or quinoa
Directions
• Drizzle crockpot with a thin coating of grapeseed oil
• In bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, coconut sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk well.
• Cut veggies into bite size pieces and toss the veggies and meat with soy sauce mixture.
• Pour into crockpot and cook on LOW.
• Minutes prior to serving cook brown rice or quinoa and set aside.
• *Cook on LOW for 4 hours if you like firmer veggies, or 5-6 hours if you prefer a softer veggies.
