Crock Pot Dinners...two For One

[RissaRoo]

Here's a recipe that makes 2 dinners in one crock pot! We made this last week, the kids love it. I did both meals with no dairy but if you can have it, both would be wonderful with cheese! I skip a night in between the meals, so that nobody gets too sick of Mexican.

Chicken, bean and rice tacos with homemade enchilada sauce.

I love this because it's quick and easy, it bakes in a crock pot all day and requires little effort on my part. Plus, it's made to feed your family for two dinners (and, for our family of five, we always have enough left over for lunch!). The sauce is great, too...you'll use a little the first night, but save most of it for Mexican Lasagna another night. I like to sneak in a zucchini for extra vitamins, and believe it or not nobody noticed. Not even hubby!

This one is gluten, dairy, soy and egg free. You could add grated cheese if you wanted, and dairy or non dairy sour cream.

You need:

Chicken and Rice mix for two dinners:

two cups rice

one can black beans

one can corn

one jar salsa (check the label for gluten etc.)

1 cup water

three pieces of chicken (breasts or thighs or some combination of both)

one onion

chili powder

salt and pepper

corn tortillas (we use Mission brand)

lettuce, tomato, avocado etc. for toppings

Enchilada Sauce:

one zucchini

four cloves garlic

one large can pureed tomatoes (32 oz can)

two cans chili peppers, diced or whole

salt

chili powder

You Do:

Throw the rice, the can of beans, the can of corn, and the jar of salsa in a crock pot. Chop the onion, and put 3/4 of it in with the rice (reserve the rest for later). Stir them together. Add about a cup of water. Place the chicken on top of the rice mixture. If you are starting this early in the day, you can even put the chicken in frozen. Let it simmer on low all day long. Before dinner, take out chicken and pull all the meat off the bones. Shred chicken, and mix it back together with the rice mixture. Make the sauce: Chop the zucchini into chunks and throw it in the blender, then toss in the garlic. Add the tomato puree, the chilies, and the seasonings. Puree the sauce until very smooth and set out a bowl to top your burritos, put the rest away for the Mexican Lasagna another night. Prepare your toppings....lettuce, your pre-chopped onion, some avocado, cheese and sour cream if you want. Warm the tortillas in the microwave, and let everyone make their own burrito.

Put away the remaining chicken mixture and tortillas with the enchilada sauce for Mexican Lasagna...I usually make a different dinner in between to make sure no one gets sick of Mexican.

You can also do all the prep work the night before, and put the crockery part of your crock pot in the fridge overnight. The next morning, just take it out and plug it in...then all you have to do is shred the chicken and warm the tortillas and dinner's ready!

Mexican Lasagna

You Need:

Leftover crock pot rice, beans, chicken and corn mixturecorn tortillas

one can refried beansleftover homemade enchilada sauce

You Do:

Place a layer of corn tortillas on the bottom of a baking dish. I use one whole tortilla and then break some in half and line the edges. Spread half of the can of refried beans over the tortillas, then cover them with some sauce.

Layer half the chicken and rice mixture, followed by more sauce.Repeat the layers, finishing with a thick layer of sauce. I cut some tortillas into strips and decorated the top with them.

If you can have cheese, throw a layer of shredded cheddar over the rice layers and top with more shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 until browned and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Serve with a big green salad, and some dairy or non dairy sour cream if you can have it!

I usually have enough left over for lunch the next day. You don't really miss the cheese, because there's plenty of beans and sauce to make up for it!

[Beth in NC]

Here's a recipe that makes 2 dinners in one crock pot! We made this last week, the kids love it. I did both meals with no dairy but if you can have it, both would be wonderful with cheese! I skip a night in between the meals, so that nobody gets too sick of Mexican.

Chicken, bean and rice tacos with homemade enchilada sauce.

I love this because it's quick and easy, it bakes in a crock pot all day and requires little effort on my part. Plus, it's made to feed your family for two dinners (and, for our family of five, we always have enough left over for lunch!). The sauce is great, too...you'll use a little the first night, but save most of it for Mexican Lasagna another night. I like to sneak in a zucchini for extra vitamins, and believe it or not nobody noticed. Not even hubby!

This one is gluten, dairy, soy and egg free. You could add grated cheese if you wanted, and dairy or non dairy sour cream.

You need:

Chicken and Rice mix for two dinners:

two cups rice

one can black beans

one can corn

one jar salsa (check the label for gluten etc.)

1 cup water

three pieces of chicken (breasts or thighs or some combination of both)

one onion

chili powder

salt and pepper

corn tortillas (we use Mission brand)

lettuce, tomato, avocado etc. for toppings

Enchilada Sauce:

one zucchini

four cloves garlic

one large can pureed tomatoes (32 oz can)

two cans chili peppers, diced or whole

salt

chili powder

You Do:

Throw the rice, the can of beans, the can of corn, and the jar of salsa in a crock pot. Chop the onion, and put 3/4 of it in with the rice (reserve the rest for later). Stir them together. Add about a cup of water. Place the chicken on top of the rice mixture. If you are starting this early in the day, you can even put the chicken in frozen. Let it simmer on low all day long. Before dinner, take out chicken and pull all the meat off the bones. Shred chicken, and mix it back together with the rice mixture. Make the sauce: Chop the zucchini into chunks and throw it in the blender, then toss in the garlic. Add the tomato puree, the chilies, and the seasonings. Puree the sauce until very smooth and set out a bowl to top your burritos, put the rest away for the Mexican Lasagna another night. Prepare your toppings....lettuce, your pre-chopped onion, some avocado, cheese and sour cream if you want. Warm the tortillas in the microwave, and let everyone make their own burrito.

Put away the remaining chicken mixture and tortillas with the enchilada sauce for Mexican Lasagna...I usually make a different dinner in between to make sure no one gets sick of Mexican.

You can also do all the prep work the night before, and put the crockery part of your crock pot in the fridge overnight. The next morning, just take it out and plug it in...then all you have to do is shred the chicken and warm the tortillas and dinner's ready!

Mexican Lasagna

You Need:

Leftover crock pot rice, beans, chicken and corn mixturecorn tortillas

one can refried beansleftover homemade enchilada sauce

You Do:

Place a layer of corn tortillas on the bottom of a baking dish. I use one whole tortilla and then break some in half and line the edges. Spread half of the can of refried beans over the tortillas, then cover them with some sauce.

Layer half the chicken and rice mixture, followed by more sauce.Repeat the layers, finishing with a thick layer of sauce. I cut some tortillas into strips and decorated the top with them.

If you can have cheese, throw a layer of shredded cheddar over the rice layers and top with more shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 until browned and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Serve with a big green salad, and some dairy or non dairy sour cream if you can have it!

I usually have enough left over for lunch the next day. You don't really miss the cheese, because there's plenty of beans and sauce to make up for it!

Sounds good! I'm a crock pot AND Mexican fiend!!!!

[Cheri A]

Sounds good! I'm a crock pot AND Mexican fiend!!!!

Me too!! Thanks so much!! You just helped me with two dinners for this week!! And, my daughter is free of all of that, so I won't have to make any modifications!