Cooking Lessons for Dad

Cooking Lessons for Beginners

Crockpot Pinto Beans

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Cook delicious Pinto Beans in your crockpot or slow cooker! This healthy Crockpot Pinto Beans recipe is so easy to make! You will need some dried pinto beans as well as a few other ingredients to make this flavorful, healthy recipe! Besides being good for you this pinto bean recipe is very inexpensive to make.

Enjoy these Crockpot Pinto Beans alone or on top of rice, couscous, or quinoa. I especially love these beans on a taco salad! They are perfect in burritos, enchiladas, tostadas and so many other recipes. Mash or serve them whole. So many possibilites! In this cooking video Karen Breyer will show you step-by-step how to make these tasty Crockpot Pinto Beans. Watch this cooking video and make this delicious Crockpot Pinto Beans recipe today!

Yield: 6 servings

Crockpot Pinto Beans

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pinto beans, dry
  • Water
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

  1. Sort the beans. Remove any stones, debris or withered beans. Rinse well.
  2. Place beans in a crockpot. Cover with cold water and soak 8 hours or overnight.
  3. After soaking, drain and rinse the beans.
  4. Return the beans to the crockpot. Cover with 7 cups of clean, cold water.
  5. Stir in the rest of the ingredients except the salt.
  6. Cook on high for 4 1/2 - 5 hours or on low 8 1/2 - 9 hours. Cook until the beans are soft.
  7. Add the salt when the beans are almost finished. Add more spices at this time if desired.
  8. Cook until the beans are as tender as you like them.

Notes

These pinto beans are delicious over rice, potatoes, couscous, quinoa and in a taco salad. They are a good side dish, filling for burritos and on tostadas.

You can mash them with a fork or potato masher and use them like refried beans.

Add a medium diced onion if desired.

The pinto beans may take more or less time to cook depending on your crockpot or slow cooker.

The longer the soaking time, the shorter the cooking time.

© Karen Breyer

 

Crockpot Southwestern Corn and Beans

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Try this hearty, healthy, delicious Crockpot Southwestern Corn and Beans recipe! It is super easy to make in your crockpot or slow cooker. This corn and red bean recipe is perfect as a main dish or side dish. You can also serve it on rice or in a burrito or taco salad. In this cooking video Karen Breyer will show you step-by-step how to make Crockpot Southwestern Corn and Beans. Watch this cooking video and make this Crockpot Southwestern Corn and Beans recipe for dinner tonight!

Yield: 8 servings

Crockpot Southwestern Corn and Beans

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups onion, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper, crushed (dried)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 2 15 ounce cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups corn, frozen (about 16 ounces)
  • 1 14 ounce can tomatoes, diced
  • 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped large
  • 2 - 3 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, Kosher (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a crockpot.
  2. Cover. Cook on high 2 1/2 - 3 hours or low for 7 - 8 hours.
  3. Stir. Add more salt and pepper if desired. Serve.

Notes

These Southwestern Corn and Beans are delicious as a main or side dish. They are tasty topped with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. They are delicious served with tortilla chips, in a burrito and on rice or a taco salad.

Adjust the seasonings to your taste.

Cut the green peppers in 1/2 - 1 inch pieces.

© Karen Breyer

 

Crockpot Roasted Garlic

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Roasting Garlic in a crockpot is super easy! Learn how to roast whole heads of garlic in a crockpot or slow cooker! Spread roasted garlic on toast, crackers or bread. Stir it into soups, pasta or mashed potatoes. It is very yummy as a spread on sandwiches. You can also dice the roasted garlic cloves and sprinkle them over pasta, pizza, vegetables or beans. Using roasted garlic is the perfect way to make healthy garlic bread or toast.

In this cooking video Karen Breyer will show you step-by-step how to make Crockpot Roasted Garlic. Watch this video and roast some delicious garlic cloves today!

 

Yield: 6 - 8 servings

Crockpot Roasted Garlic

Ingredients

  • 3 - 4 (or as desired) garlic bulbs
  • 1 - 2 teaspoons olive oil (per garlic bulb)
  • Kosher salt (to taste)
  • Pepper, fresh ground (to taste)

Instructions

  1. Cut a 1/4 to 1/2 inch slice from the top of the garlic bulbs. Cut off enough so the cloves are exposed.
  2. Carefully peel off the outer paper-like skin from the garlic bulbs. Leave enough to hold the cloves together.
  3. Place the bulbs in a glass bowl or small wide mouth jar. Use more than one bowl or jar as needed to fit the number of bulbs. Arrange the bulbs so they will stay upright.
  4. Drizzle 1 - 2 teaspoons of olive oil over each bulb.
  5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  6. Cover the bowl with foil.
  7. Place the glass bowl on a trivet like a metal jar lid or canning ring so the glass is not touching the bottom of the crockpot.
  8. Cook on high for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until the garlic is tender when pierced with a fork or toothpick.
  9. Squeeze the garlic out of the cloves. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper if desired.

Notes

Spread the creamy roasted garlic on toast, crackers or bread. Stir it into soups, pasta or mashed potatoes. You can also dice the roasted cloves and sprinkle over pasta, pizza, vegetables or beans.

Instead of roasting the garlic in a glass dish you can wrap each bulb tightly in foil.

© Karen Breyer

 

Crockpot Potatoes

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Learn the easiest way to cook potatoes! In this cooking video Karen Breyer will show you step-by-step how to make potatoes in your crockpot or slow cooker. It is so easy! Cook lots of potatoes at once and then set out toppings for a potato bar. Everyone can customize their potatoes how they like them! If you like crockpot meals watch this cooking video and make Crockpot Potatoes today!

 

Yield: Varies

Crockpot Potatoes

Ingredients

  • Potatoes (around the same size)
  • Water

Instructions

  1. Thoroughly wash and scrub the potatoes. Cut out unwanted blemishes.
  2. Add water to the cooker (see below).
  3. Add potatoes.
  4. Bake on high. Select time according to chart.
  5. Take out the potatoes when they are done. They will be soft when gently squeezed. The skin will be firm.
  6. -------------------------Water and cooking times------------------------------
  7. One layer needs 1/2 cup of water. Bake on high 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
  8. Half to 3/4 full needs 3/4 cup of water. Bake on high 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
  9. A full cooker needs 3/4 cup of water. Bake on high for 3 1/2 hours.

Notes

You can select from a variety of potatoes.

Smaller potatoes will cook faster than larger ones. If you have different sizes, check the small ones early and take them out when they are done. Small potatoes take 20-30 minutes less.

Do not poke potatoes with a fork. That will leave dark streaks.

Do not wrap the potatoes in foil.

Baking on low will darken the flesh.

Baking times depend on the cooker, size of potatoes and the desired firmness.

You can cook them up to 1 - 11/2 hours longer before the flesh darkens.

You can plan ahead by scrubbing the potatoes and refrigerating them in a bag until needed. Remove the blemishes at baking time.

You can also put some yams in with the potatoes. Take them out early as they do not take as long to cook.

© Karen Breyer

 

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