Recipe: Cheese-Filled Tater Tots

As I'm sure you've noticed by now, I hate wasting kitchen space with single use appliances. So when I get a new toy for my kitchen, I have to come up with at least five new ways to use it (other than its intended use). And since my amazing friend Brenda gave me an electric cake pops maker for Christmas, I've been busily coming up with new and fun ways to use it. Today, I perfected the process for making delicious cheese filled tater tots in my cake pops maker.

You will need:

1 pound shredded potatoes

24 quarter inch cubes of cheese (any variety - you can even use vegan cheese, if you want to make these vegan-friendly!)

Nonstick cooking spray

Salt

Electric cake pops maker

In a large bowl, sprinkle a little bit of salt (and any other seasonings you desire)* onto the shredded potatoes. Microwave on high for 3 to 4 minutes, until potato shreds just start to stick together. Stir.

Allow potatoes to cool slightly. 

Take a pinch of the partially cooked potato shreds in your hand.  

Place cheese in the center. 

Press potatoes around the cheese and form into a tight ball, approximately the size of the holes in your cake pops maker. You want the balls to be big enough that they will come into contact with all of the cooking surfaces when the appliance is closed, but not so big that it's difficult to close the lid.

Place potato balls in preheated cake pops maker that is been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Close and let bake for 8 to 10 minutes. 

Let sit for an additional minute before removing from the cake pops maker. Serve warm.

*note: It is important to season the potatoes before forming into tater tots. The crust on the outside of the tots will keep the seasoning sprinkled on at the end from penetrating to the middle, giving you bland and flavorless tots.

Variation: omit the cheese entirely for simple, giant tater tots with essentially zero fat. (Without the cheese, these tots can fit vegan diets as well.)

This was my third attempt at making the tater tots in my cake pop maker. The first time, I tried doing it with raw shredded potatoes. They were delicious, but didn't hold together in tater tot form. Next, I tried cooking the potatoes before shredding them. They held the shape well but the texture was off. (More like crispy mashed potato balls.) It appears that the secret is shredding the potatoes first and then partially cooking them for maximum effect.

Crock Pot Gourmet Recipe: 3-Ingredient, Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler

This time of year, I prefer a lighter, mostly vegetarian diet (meat and heavy starches weigh me down in the hotter months, and I just feel sluggish), but my family misses the comfort foods and treats we often enjoy in the winter. So when my friend gave me a big batch of slightly-squishy peaches, I decided to try a lighter twist on peach cobbler. With only 3 ingredients in the Crock Pot, it's super-simple to put together, and just as delicious as "the real thing!"

 

For a batch that fills a 5-quart Crock Pot, you will need:

* 12-16 corn tortillas (3-4 per layer)

* approximately 2 dozen peaches, pitted and sliced (perfect use for the peaches that are starting to get over-ripe, or you could probably use canned peaches, drained)

* 1/2 to 1 c. brown sugar, divided (if using canned peaches, you may want to use even less sugar)

Spray crock with non-stick cooking oil. Spread 1/4 of the sliced peaches in a layer on the bottom of the Crock Pot. Top with 3-4 tortillas. (I prefer to use 3 tortillas. If you position them like in the picture below, you can tear the middle one in half to cover the outside edges of the layer, avoiding a 4-way overlap, and a very thick layer of tortilla, in the center of the dish.)

Sprinkle with 1/4 of the brown sugar (I used approximately 3/4 c. total, but you can use more or less depending upon how sweet your peaches are, and how sweet you want the final cobbler to be).

Repeat layers 4 times, ending with a sprinkling of brown sugar.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours (or overnight if you want a delicious breakfast to wake up to!)

Serve warm or cold, either by itself, or with your favorite whipped cream / plain yogurt / ice cream.

This recipe is naturally gluten-free and vegan!

Crock Pot Gourmet: Giant Pancake

Several weeks ago, Jessica Sinsheimer tweeted this link with instructions on how to make a giant pancake cake in an electric rice cooker. I don't own an electric rice cooker,* but I've made similar cakes in my Crock Pot, so I promised to share the recipe on my blog. It's been a crazy-busy summer, and I have so many half-written blog posts piling up, but I'm finally getting around to actually posting the promised recipe!

Crock Pot Giant Pancake

3 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. old fashioned oats
3 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c. powdered milk**
1/3 c. oil
4 eggs
3 1/2 c. water**

In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking powder, salt and powdered milk.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add oil, eggs and 1 c. water. Beat together the liquid ingredients slightly (to break the egg yolks), and then slowly expand your stirring strokes to begin stirring dry ingredients into the wet, drizzling in remaining water as you stir. (Adding all of the water at once makes it difficult to incorporate the egg properly, but you don't want to mix the batter too much, or you'll get tough pancakes, so don't be too slow about adding the water. If you don't want to worry about overmixing, you can beat the eggs, oil and water all together in a separate bowl and dump it all in at once, then stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. I just prefer the one-bowl method, because I hate washing dishes!)

Spray your 5-quart*** Crock Pot with non-stick cooking spray, coating the sides and bottom evenly.

Pour batter into the crock, make sure the lid is skewed slightly to let steam escape, and cook on low for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (Cooking times may vary depending upon your Crock Pot's settings.)

You can either cut and serve the cake directly from the Crock Pot (my preferred method, because it creates less dishes to wash), or you can flip the cake out onto a large tray or cookie sheet to slice and serve.

 Serve plain, or topped with your favorite syrup or fruit topping.

 For a slightly more savory dish (the pancake itself isn't too sweet to begin with), you can drizzle with melted peanut butter (or almond or cashew butter or Nutella - Okay, so the Nutella wouldn't make it savory).

*I also make rice in my slow cooker. No need to buy multiple devices when one is so good at multitasking!

** I prefer to use powdered milk in cooking, because it's less expensive, you don't notice a taste difference in cooked products, and I can add a little extra calcium to my recipes by adding more milk powder than you would normally add for that amount of reconstituted milk. But if you don't want to use powdered milk, you can omit the powdered milk and simply use 3 1/2 c. fluid milk instead of water.

*** You can make a smaller batch in a 3-quart Crock Pot. Just cut all ingredient quantities in half. It will most likely cook faster as well, so start checking on it after 1 3/4 to 2 hours.

VARIATIONS:
   -- Stir 1 c. dried cranberries in with the dry ingredients, and add 1 1/2 tsp. orange extract with the liquid ingredients. Before pouring batter into the Crock Pot, sprinkle 1/2 c. brown sugar into the bottom of the crock. If desired, you may also sprinkle 1/4 c. brown sugar on the top of the batter.
    -- Stir 1/2 c. cocoa powder in with the dry ingredients, and add 1/2 c. honey with the liquids for a sweeter treat.
    -- Use your imagination! What are your favorite pancake stir-ins? Add them to the batter before baking. (Leave a comment below to tell me your favorites!)

Crock Pot Gourmet: Pumpkin Custard

I always make too much filling when I bake pumpkin pies, and I usually pour the excess into a dish to bake alongside the pie for a delicious, Baked Pumpkin Custard. This year, I decided to omit the pie crust altogether and try baking the custard in my Crock Pot instead. It was delicious and super simple, and this recipe will definitely be returning as a staple in our home. (It's nutritious enough - packed with all the lovely vitamins from the pumpkin - that I've even made it for a special breakfast treat!)

You will need: 

2 eggs

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (or 2 c. pumpkin puree)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

dash cayenne pepper (optional, but totally delicious!)

1 c. dry milk

1 c. water

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and spices. Add sugar and dry milk powder. Beat until thoroughly combined. Slowly whisk in water. Pour into greased 2 1/2 quart crock pot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean.

(For a larger crowd, you can easily double the recipe.)

Crock Pot Gourmet: Cinnamon Rolls

It's getting to be summer time here in New Mexico, and I don't like turning on the oven (& heating up the house) any more than absolutely necessary, so I try to come up with alternatives for our favorite baked goods when warm weather hits. But sometimes, only the real thing will do, so when my daughter asked for Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast today, I thought I'd experiment a bit to see if I could bake them in my crock pot instead. (The answer is yes, I could!)

 

(If desired, you can finish these Cinnamon Rolls with your favorite glaze or cream cheese frosting, but I prefer my rolls unfrosted, because I don't care for massive amounts of sugar in the morning.)

 

 

First, I made a batch of my super-delicious and easy Cinnamon Roll Dough and divided it in half.

A scale makes it easy to divide dough exactly in half, but you can eyeball it if you don't have a scale. (Each half batch of dough weighed about 1 lb. 14 oz.) - You can also cut the ingredients for the recipe in half, if you're only making one batch of cinnamon rolls.

 

For one batch of Crock Pot Cinnamon Rolls, you will need:

1/2 batch Cinnamon Roll Dough

2 Tbsp. butter, softened (for vegan diets, use margarine instead)

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

(optional): raisins, nuts, chocolate chips, craisins... whatever you like in your cinnamon rolls!

 

Sprinkle flour on clean, dry table.

 

Roll the dough ball in the flour to coat.

 

Roll out the dough into a large oval, about 1 cm thick.

 

(approximately 1/4 inch)

 

If you keep your butter in the fridge, like I do, you'll want to soften it slightly. Microwave on high (in a GLASS bowl or cup - plastic will melt) for 5-15 seconds.

You don't want to let it melt, just soften it until it spreads easily.

 

Spread butter on the dough. (For a lower-fat version, simply spray with a thin layer of non-stick cooking spray instead of spreading butter or margarine.)

 

In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar together.

 

Sprinkle over dough, leaving about 1/2 inch on one long edge free of sugar.

 

If desired, sprinkle with a handful or two of raisins (or your favorite fillings).

 

Roll into a long cylinder, starting on edge opposite the unsugared edge.

 

Press slightly to seal dough together. Place, seam-side down on cutting surface.

 

Slice roll at approximately 1-inch intervals.

 

To prepare your crock pot for baking, roll a long piece of foil into a snake, and coil loosely in the bottom of your Crock Pot, shaping it to fill the space as fully as possible. Remove from crock.

 

Cut another piece of foil, slightly larger than your Crock Pot. Place the foil sheet over the top of Crock Pot, and place foil spiral on top of it.

 

Press down into the crock pot, to fill the bottom of the crock.

 

 

Fold edges in, around the spiral.

 

Flip foil disc over, so smooth side is facing up. 

Spray with non-stick cooking spray.

 

Arrange cinnamon rolls on foil.

 

Cook on High for about 2 or 2 1/2 hours.

Make sure to keep lid of Crock Pot slightly askew, so steam can escape, or you'll have a sticky, doughy mess when you're done.

 

Because the Crock Pot heats more slowly and gently than the oven, you don't need to let the rolls rise before turning on the Crock Pot. Simply put them in and turn it on. They plump up beautifully!

 

For comparison, this time, I made a second batch of rolls with the other half of the dough, baked in the oven (on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes). The texture of the finished rolls was nearly identical... although I did get distracted right at the end of the cooking time for the Crock Pot batch and forgot to turn it off. I ended up with slightly burnt edges on the Crock Pot Cinnamon Rolls, but they were still delicious! I'll definitely make these again!

Update: A word of caution!! Make sure to take the cinnamon rolls OUT of the Crock Pot as soon as they are finished baking. For the cakes I've made, I've generally turned off the Crock Pot and let the cake cool in the crock before removing it, but because the cinnamon rolls are bread-based, they have less moisture than a cake to begin with. After baking my first batch, I left them in the Crock Pot to keep warm until my husband came home from work. And by the time he came home, about an hour and a half later, the rolls had dried out considerably. They were still tasty, but they were no longer fluffy and soft, as cinnamon rolls should be. It's and easily-solved problem. Simply remove the rolls to cool on a wire rack, or serve immediately while warm.

Of course, if you forget and leave the rolls in the Crock Pot until they're all dried out, like I did with half of the batch, all is not lost. Simply use them to make French Toast Casserole! It was so good!! :)

Crock Pot Gourmet: Potato Spinach Quiche

This yummy Crock Pot breakfast, Spinach & Potato Quiche,

can be easily adapted either for vegetarians:

 

or for carnavores, like my hubby & kids.

If you want the vegetarian option

(or if you're watching your fat and cholesterol intake), simply omit the sausage.

(This recipe doesn't easily adapt to vegan menus, though, because it's mostly eggs and cheese.)

You will need:

5 large russet potatoes

1 lb. frozen chopped spinach

4 large eggs

1 lb. cottage cheese

1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese

(or use extra sharp cheese, & you can cut it back to 1/4 lb. while still retaining the flavor)

6 oz. sausage patties (optional)

 

 

Place the spinach in a large, glass mixing bowl.

 

Thaw in microwave, just until you can stir it & separate the leaves.

 

Add cottage cheese and eggs.

 

Stir to combine thoroughly.

 

Slice potatoes into rounds about 1/8-inch thick.

 

Spray crock pot with oil, and layer potatoes on bottom of crock.

Top with approximately 1/5 of spinach mixture.

 

Add about 2 Tbsp. grated cheddar.

 

Repeat layers.

In third layer, add sausage (if desired) between spinach mixture and cheese.

 

Repeat layers twice more, ending with spinach mixture and remaining cheddar.

 

Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until eggs are set and potatoes are tender. (This is a perfect meal to put into the crock pot before going to bed for an easy breakfast in the morning.)

 

 

Serve alone, or with a side of steamed broccoli.