Slow Cooker Turkey Tenderloin with Brown Sugar Glaze

Slow Cooker Turkey Tenderloin with Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients
Two turkey tenderloins
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
4-5 garlic cloves
rosemary
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup water

Recipe

1. Place 1/2 cup water and turkey tenderloins in slow cooker.  Add salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary directly on top of turkey.  
2. Cook turkey tenderloins in slow cooker on low for 2-4 hours until completely cooked.  Time will depend on the size of the tenderloins and the heat of your slow cooker.
3. You can make the glaze at any time before the turkey is done.  Combine brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce and 1/2 cup water in a small sauce pan.  Heat over medium heat until sauce thickens, a few minutes.
4. When turkey is done Preheat oven to broil.  Place turkey on foil liked cookie sheet.  Brush with glaze and broil 1 minute, repeat this 3 or 4 times to get a nice caramelized crust 

* Thanks to My Story in Recipes for Brown Sugar Glaze Recipe and idea using pork loin

Super Easy Slow Cooker Cheddar Broccoli Soup

School is in full swing now, busy in-and-out schedules keep us moving all day.  We still manage a family dinner each day and I am now understanding my mother's love of the slow cooker.  Start dinner, run and grab the kids take them to after school activities and come home to a done or nearly done meal.  It's magic!

This recipe was my first attempt at cheddar broccoli soup.  I wanted something that is creamy and hearty but a little healthier than the traditional soup.  I also didn't want to dirty a bunch of pans and needed it to cook while I was running the kids around, hence the slow cooker.  As an added bonus my four year old loved helping me add the ingredients to the slow cooker.  I used my immersion blender but didn't quite blend enough so I tried out my normal blender and it was perfect.  The soup was just shy of being deep enough and my immersion blender was splashing a bit.  It's hard to believe there is no cream or whole milk in this recipe!

Ingredients

4 cups of chicken stock
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
6 cups fresh roughly chopped broccoli
1 cup peeled and washed shredded carrots
3 cups cheddar cheese (we love tilamook sharp cheddar)
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

1. Pour the chicken stock and flour into the crockpot.  Using a whisk combine until the flour is completely incorporated.
2. Add broccoli and carrots.  Cook on low for 3 hours or until broccoli is cooked.  
3. Remove 2-3 cups of the broccoli, don't worry if you get carrots too.  Chop these and set aside.
4. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper now.  I just add a sprinkle of each.
5. Add the cheese a cup at a time and let melt.  Stir it up before each addition.
6. Blend until smooth with immersion blender then add reserved chopped cooked broccoli.  If you don't have an immersion blender you can use a normal blender but be careful the soup is hot! Allow to heat a few minutes if the soup has cooled.
7. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese.

Easy Slow Cooker Apple Sauce

If I am not moving in a whirlwind of activity during the daytime, I think I'd actually lose my balance. Since breakfast needed to cook 20 minutes with no help from me I had to occupy myself.  Surplus or orchard apples and a slow cooker, criss cross applesauce!  It's so simple and makes a great healthy snack or addition to a packed lunch.  The scent is amazing.  I've noticed in the past few weeks our neighborhood has had new homes go up for sale.  If I had an open house this time of year, forget baked cookie smell, I'd cook up some applesauce in my slow cooker and leave a big bowl of local apples to sample.  No applesauce to share though, that's all for the owners who have to work at a spotless house!

Ingredients

8-10 apples
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp honey
1/2 cup water
brown sugar or maple syrup to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Peel apples.  I usually cut them in four around the core then half those pieces.
2. Combine all ingredients, expect optional sugar, in slow cooker and mix together.
3. Cook on low for 6 hours.
4. Mash apples with potato masher for a homey chunky sauce or use immersion blender or mixer for smoother sauce.  
5. Taste the sauce.  If you want it sweeter add a tablespoon of brown sugar or maple syrup at a time until it suits your taste.  If you want more cinnamon add it now.
6. Sauce keeps for 3 weeks in the fridge.  You can also jar in for longer storage.  Serve warm or chill for later, yummy both ways.  Enjoy!

Easy Crockpot Turkey Tenderloin

Doing my grocery shopping I ran across a "manager's special" markdown.  If you haven't checked these out they are items that fastly approaching the sell-by date.  I like to pick up meats that are marked down and pop them in the freezer or cook them in the next few days.  So I took my $5 turkey tenderloins and made an easy slow cooker meal.  After a day of errands and playing the meal was ready to go.  And it makes your house smell delicious!

Ingredients

• Turkey Tenderloins
• Carrots
• Celery
• Red Potatoes
• White Onions
• Garlic
• Chicken Stock
• Sea Salt
• Pepper

Recipe

1. Chop  Carrots, Celery, Red Potatoes into bite size pieces.  You'll want around 1 - 2 cups of each.  The amount doesn't have to be exact.  Add to slow cooker.
2. Dice the onion and mince the garlic.  Add to slow cooker.
3. Add some chicken stock.  If you just want to steam the veggies add around 1/2 a cup.  If you want a soupy broth to dip bread in add more.  
4. Place the Turkey Tenderloins on top of the veggies in the slow cooker.  Season meat and veggies with sea salt and pepper to taste.
5. Cook on high for one hour.  Cook 5-7 hours on low.  The total time depends on the thickness of your tenderloins.  I tend to buy thicker pieces and they generally are done after 6 hours on low.