Cooking Lessons for Dad

Cooking Lessons for Beginners

Crockpot Pine-Applesauce

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Try this easy, healthy apple and pineapple recipe in your crockpot! Karen Breyer’s cooking video shows you how to make this delicious Crockpot Pine-Apple sauce. Is it a applesauce recipe or a pineapple sauce recipe? It is both! This is a delicious combination of baked apples with a pineapple accent. Watch this cooking video to see how easy this recipe is to make in your crockpot or slow cooker!

Yield: 8 servings

Crockpot Pine-Applesauce

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup dried pineapple, chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • 8 cups apples, sliced and cored
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, ground (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add the pineapple and water to a blender. Before blending, let set for 30 minutes to soften the pineapple.
  2. Core and slice the apples.
  3. After the pineapple has soaked, blend it until it is smooth.
  4. Add the apples and pineapple mixture to the crockpot and stir so the apples are coated. Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg if you would like.
  5. Cook the apples until they are soft. On low for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. On high for about 2 1/4 to 3 1/2 hours.
  6. When the apples are soft, mash them with a potato masher until they are as chunky or smooth as you would like them.
  7. Stir in the vanilla if desired. Serve warm, chilled or room temperature.

Notes

Honeycrisp, Fuji, McIntosh, Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, and Rome apples are good choices for applesauce. Fuji and Honeycrisp apples are pretty sweet and very good choices. You can mix different types of apples.

You can peel the apples if you want to. If you don’t make sure to wash the apples well.

You can slice or chop the apples. They do not need to be neat since you are going to mash them later.

Softer apples with cook faster than firm apples. Small pieces will cook faster than firm apples.

Instead of a using a potato masher, you can blend the cooked apples with an immersion blender or blend them in a high-speed blender.

You can substitute 2 tablespoons of lemon juice for the pineapple and water. These additions are to keep the apples from browning.

You can store this applesauce in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks and in the freezer for about 2 months.

See a cooking demonstration of this Crockpot Pine-Apple Sauce recipe on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

Meatless Sloppy Joes

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Check out this Meatless Sloppy Joes cooking video! Learn how to make this easy, healthy, delicious Meatless Sloppy Joes in a crockpot or slow cooker. In this video Karen Breyer will show you step-by-step how to make this very easy, vegan crockpot recipe! If you are looking for some new, meatless, vegan or vegetarian recipes I think you will love this recipe for an easy, healthy dinner! Trying to make more healthy meals for your family but do not have much time?  This is the perfect easy crockpot or slow cooker recipe for you! Watch this video and try this Meatless Sloppy Joes Recipe today!

 

Yield: 4 servings

Meatless Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

  • 8 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups onions, chopped
  • 2 cups green bell peppers, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon mustard, prepared (not powder)
  • 1 - 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 - 2 teaspoons chili powder

Instructions

  1. Add the tomato sauce and beans to the crockpot. Mash the beans with a potato masher.
  2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 5 1/2 hours or until the vegetables are soft.
  4. Serve on sandwich buns, bread or toast.

Notes

This Meatless Sloppy Joes recipe is delicious reheated as leftovers.

Keep a batch of this Sloppy Joes in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can prepare a quick, healthy and satisfying sandwich anytime!

Watch a cooking demonstration of this Meatless Sloppy Joes recipe on my Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

Dad’s Favorite Beef Stew

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Learn to cook Dad’s Favorite Beef Stew! In this cooking video Karen Breyer and her dad will show you step-by-step how to cook this delicious, healthy beef stew. This recipe is an easy beef stew for the crockpot or slow cooker. If you are looking for new, delicious, easy crockpot or slow cooker recipes I think you will love this one! This is a hearty, healthy beef stew with plenty of vegetables. I think it will be one of your favorite crockpot or slow cooker recipes! Watch this video and try my Dad’s Favorite Beef Stew recipe today!

Yield: 6 - 8 servings

Dad's Favorite Beef Stew

Ingredients

  • 1 - 2 cups carrots, diced
  • 1 cup celery, diced
  • 1 cup green pepper, diced
  • 2 - 3 cups potatoes, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary, dried
  • 1 teaspoon salt, Kosher
  • Black pepper, ground (to taste)
  • 5 teaspoons beef broth/seasoning, dry
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 - 2 pounds boneless beef chunks for stew

Instructions

  1. Dice the carrots, celery, green pepper, potato and onions.
  2. Add all the ingredients in a crockpot (or slow cooker) and stir together.
  3. Turn the crockpot on high and cook about 4 hours (or low for 8 - 10 hours) or until the beef and vegetables are cooked to your desired tenderness. If desired, adjust the seasonings.

Notes

You can experiment with different types of potatoes and onions in this stew. I often use red potatoes and yellow onions. My dad likes to use red onions.

You can vary the amount of vegetables, beef, and spices to how you like it.

You could leave out the beef and add cooked beans or a vegetarian meat substitute for a delicious vegetable stew.

If you use fresh rosemary instead of dried, use 1 tablespoon instead of 1 teaspoon. In general, 1 teaspoon of dried herbs are equal to 1 teaspoon fresh herbs.

You can use a different type of salt if you would like.

Choose a good quality beef broth/seasoning. Check the ingredients to make sure the ingredients are as natural as possible (no MSG!).

You can substitute 5 cups of liquid beef or vegetable broth in place of the dried seasoning and water.

This beef stew is delicious served with a crusty bread and a salad.

© Karen Breyer

 

Crockpot Sweet Potato Burritos

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Yield: 8 burritos

Crockpot Sweet Potato Burritos

Ingredients

  • 8 whole wheat, flour or corn tortillas
  • 1 - 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 cups sweet potatoes, diced in 1 inch cubes
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried vegetable broth/seasoning
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1- 2 teaspoons cumin, ground
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • Cooking spray

Instructions

  1. Spray a crockpot or slow cooker with cooking spray.
  2. Add all ingredients to the crockpot and stir.
  3. Cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours or until the sweet potatoes are as soft as desired.
  4. Add more salt if desired and stir.
  5. Spoon about 3/4 cup of sweet potato mixture into tortilla. Add additional optional ingredients like salsa, guacamole, and sour cream if desired.
  6. Fold the bottom edge of the tortilla up and over the sweet potato mixture. Next, fold in each side edge to form and open pocket. Serve.

Notes

These burritos are delicious topped with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, green onions and sliced or diced avocado.

If desired, you can warm the tortilla in the microwave for about 10 seconds or heat it in a skillet. before adding the sweet potato mixture.

You may use 1/4 cup of liquid vegetable broth in place of the water and dried vegetable broth/seasoning if you would like.

You can adjust any of the seasonings to taste.

This burrito mixture is also good served in crispy taco shells.

I recommend my Tofu Sour Cream recipe as an excellent topping for this burrito. You can find this recipe at Cookinglessonfordad.com.

© Karen Breyer

 

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