Wait. The slow cooker? That’s only for winter, right? No, my friends. It is not.

When you stop and think about it, it’s really the perfect way to cook in the summer. You put ingredients in it, you turn it on low, and you walk away. It doesn’t heat up the kitchen like the stove or oven. You don’t have to stand over it. You just wait, and voila! Dinner is ready!

I’ve included some of our family’s favorite summer slow cooker recipes. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Summery Greek-Inspired Chicken

This is a favorite at our house. We use chicken thighs as they don’t dry out, and they have more flavor than most commercially available chicken breasts. It’s delicious and healthy (don’t tell the kids!) and easy.

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 small red onion, halved and sliced into half moons
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried dill
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 8-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 12-ounce jar roasted marinated red peppers, drained and sliced
1 cup pitted, halved Kalamata olives
1 3-ounce jar capers, drained
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lemon, sliced
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 block feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of a six-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with the smashed garlic, sliced red onion, salt, pepper, oregano, and dill. Layer the grape tomatoes, artichoke hearts, peppers, olives, and lemon slices over the chicken. Pour the lemon juice and chicken broth over everything and cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the lid and drizzle the chicken with olive oil and crumbled feta. Replace the lid and cook for 30 minutes more. Serve over rice, orzo, couscous, pasta, or just with some lovely bread to sop up all the juices. Serves 4 to 6 people.

Thai-Inspired Corn Chowder

We love Thai flavors in our house, and this is a great chowder that uses Thai flavors with summer produce.

A basket of sweet corn, three ears partially husked

Ingredients

6 ears corn, husked and kernels removed
1 pound baby golden potatoes, halved
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, lightly pounded
2 to 4 Thai chile peppers*
4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 cup canned coconut milk
Chopped cilantro, Thai basil, and/or mint to garnish

*Depending on your heat tolerance, you can either slice the chile peppers, leaving in or removing the seeds and ribs (the source of most of the heat), or you can just throw them in whole to get the flavor of the chiles without much of the heat.

Directions

Place the corn, potatoes, onion, garlic, lemongrass, and chiles in the bottom of a six-quart crockpot. Add in the chicken or vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper. Cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or HIGH for 2 to 3 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the lid, remove the lemongrass stalks, give everything a good stir, and add in the lime juice, fish sauce, and coconut milk and stir again. Replace the lid and let cook for another 30 minutes on LOW. To serve, scoop into bowls and garnish with cilantro, Thai basil, and/or mint. Serves 4 to 6.

Slow Cooker Summer Squash and Pasta

Pasta in a slow cooker? Yes! This is a delicious summer meal and is ridiculously healthy. It’s super easy, so it’s one of my go-to meals when I don’t want to cook.

Just picked tomato and squashes on the white structured background. Just harvested vegetables. Top view.

Ingredients

1 24-ounce jar pasta sauce (I always look for no sugars added sauces)
1 pound shaped pasta (I use whole grain ziti, penne, or cavatappi)
1 zucchini, halved and sliced into half moons
1 yellow summer squash, halved and sliced into half moons
1 small yellow onion, halved and sliced into half moons
2 to 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup cottage cheese (please don’t use the fat free stuff)
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 8-ounce bag shredded Italian cheeses
1 bunch basil, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped

Directions

Combine the pasta sauce, pasta, zucchini, summer squash, onion, garlic, cottage cheese, Italian herbs, and salt and pepper in a six-quart slow cooker. Cook on LOW for about 2 hours. Check occasionally, and if it’s looking a little dry, add in some water, chicken or vegetable broth, or dry white wine.

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the lid, give it a good stir, and add in the shredded Italian cheeses and basil. Replace the lid and cook for about another 30 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

The post Summery Slow Cooker Meals for Blazing Hot Days first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Artist: Trish Wise

Southwest Sofrito 

Chef Cody Lynch of Del Frisco’s Grill shares his favorite go-to sauce in his house. Based on a Spanish sofrito, this is delicious on scrambled eggs and roasted potatoes. 

 Ingredients 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 cup diced sweet onion 

6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 

1 tablespoon sweet paprika 

1 tablespoon smoked paprika 

1 6-ounce can of tomato paste 

1 single chipotle in adobo sauce 

2 tablespoons sriracha sauce 

2 cups water 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar 

1 cup cilantro, loosely packed  

 Directions 

Over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil for approximately 5 minutes. Cook slowly as you don’t want them to burn but just develop a light brown color. Next add the chipotle, tomato paste, both sweet and smoked paprika, and sriracha. Keep stirring this for 3 to 4 minutes until you can really smell the tomato fragrance. Add the water and salt and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir every couple of minutes. After approximately 10 minutes, the sauce will begin to darken slightly, and most of the water should be evaporated. At this point, it will have to consistency of mayonnaise. Turn off heat and let cool for 5 minutes. In a blender, combine the sherry vinegar, cilantro, and the tomato mixture you just created.  Blend until desired smoothness.  I like it super smooth. Enjoy! 

Artist: Trish Wise

Savory Zucchini Soup with Parmesan and Lemon 

Chef Molly McCook of Ellerbe Fine Foods shares this delightfully light zucchini soup for spring. 

Ingredients  

For the soup:

1/3 cup olive oil  

1 large onion, diced  

7 zucchini, cut into rounds (approximately 2 ½ quarts)  

2 teaspoons kosher salt  

Pinch of black pepper  

½ bunch thyme sprigs, tied with a string  

1 ounce basil leaves, chopped  

1 ounce flat leaf parsley, chopped  

¼ ounce fresh garlic (approximately 2 cloves)  

1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth  

Garnish:

Zest of 1 lemon  

Grated parmesan cheese  

Extra virgin olive oil  

Directions 

In a medium size sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and thyme bouquet, and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the zucchini, salt, pinch of pepper, basil, parsley, and garlic and continue to sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook for 25 minutes or until the zucchini begins to break down. Remove from heat and discard the thyme bouquet.  

Puree the soup in small batches using a blender until completely smooth. Be careful not to fill the blender more than halfway so that the hot liquid does not explode onto you.  

Taste the soup for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.  

Garnish each bowl of soup with lemon zest, grated parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  

Serves 8 

Artist: Trish Wise

Pistachio Cake 

Chef Marcus Paslay of Clay Pigeon and Piatello shared his recipe for luscious pistachio cupcake with a decadent chocolate frosting. 

Ingredients 

For the Cake 

2¼ cups granulated sugar 

1 1/3 cups flour 

8 ounces pistachios, shelled, roasted & chopped 

1 tablespoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

½ teaspoon kosher salt 

2 ½ cups buttermilk 

5 ounces unsalted butter, melted 

5 eggs 

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract  

For the Frosting 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter 

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate 

½ cup sour cream 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

¼ teaspoon kosher salt 

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted 

1 tablespoon, more or less, whole milk, room temperature  

Garnish 

Pistachios, shelled, toasted & chopped 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as needed 

Maldon sea salt, as needed 

Directions 

For the Cake 

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and butter. 

Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir well. 

Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until they are the size of gravel. 

Fold the pistachios into the cake batter. 

Pour the batter into a silicon muffin mold with straight sides until each is about two-thirds filled. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

For the Frosting 

In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate, butter, vanilla, and salt, making sure to mix well. 

Transfer the chocolate mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk and slowly incorporate the sugar, sour cream, and milk. 

Once fully incorporated, run the mixer on high for about 30 seconds, or until desired consistency is reached. 

To serve, smear the frosting over the top of the cupcake. Place a cupcake on a plate and sprinkle some pistachios and sea salt over the top. Drizzle a little bit of extra virgin olive oil over the cake and around the plate. Yield: about 12 Servings 

If you have a favorite dish from a local restaurant, let our editor Lee Virden Geurkink know by emailing lee@madeworthymedia.com, and she’ll try to get it in a future issue!

The post Fresh Family Recipes: Ellerbe Fine Foods, Clay Pigeon, and Del Frisco’s Grill first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.