Boost Your Immune System with Fresh Winter Vegetables in the Crockpot

You might not think much about fresh produce in the middle of winter, but our market is filled with delicious and nutritious winter vegetables – cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, and more! These leafy greens are vital to your diet and can help you fight off those dreaded winter colds (that we’re all facing with the crazy high and low temps this year!). Most doctors even recommend you increase your intake of vegetables when the weather turns cold.

With shorter days and dreary weather, it’s tough sometimes to get in the mood to cook. But you can have nutritious and easy, with a crockpot! We have curated some great recipes for the crock pot. One recipe was created by Nature’s Kitchen, one of our market suppliers. We have a special crockpot display featured now in store with all the winter vegetables and meats you’ll need. Simply walk into Farmview Market and purchase everything you need to create a delicious meal using your crock pot and our fresh winter vegetables!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:

3 lbs.        Beef Chuck, Brisket or Round
1 cup        Nature's Kitchen Jerk Barbecue Sauce
2 tbsp.     coconut oil
1                 whole onion, chopped
1                 stalk green onion/scallion
3-5            sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 tbsp. ginger
1                  whole habanero pepper (optional)
3                  cloves garlic
2                  whole white potatoes, cubed
2 tbsp.      Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp.          salt (to taste)
1/2 cup     chicken stock
1 tbsp.       molasses (optional)
1 tbsp.       vinegar (optional)

Directions:

Marinate meat in Jerk Barbecue Sauce for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion, scallion, thyme, ginger, habanero, and garlic until onions begin to glaze. Remove from pan and set aside.

Sear meat for several minutes on each side then transfer to slow cooker, arranging potatoes around meat. Add sautéed mixture to saucepan, along with Worcestershire sauce, salt, chicken stock, molasses, and vinegar. Simmer, stirring occasionally. Add your chopped potatoes to your slow cooker. After simmering, pour meat and sauce over the potatoes in the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 6 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.

Crockpot Italian Chicken and Mustard Greens Chili

Ingredients:

3 lbs.       boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1                small sweet onion, diced
3                cloves garlic, minced or grated
2 tbsp.    chili powder
1 tbsp.    dried oregano
2 tsp.       smoked paprika
2 tsp.       dried thyme
1/4 tsp.   allspice
1/4 -1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1                dried bay leaf
1 tsp        salt and pepper
1 oz. can tomato paste
4 cups    low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup  balsamic vinegar
1 large    bunch mustard greens, roughly chopped
1 oz. jar  roasted red peppers, sliced
1 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving
1/2 cup chopped parsley plus more for serving

Directions:

In a 6-8-quart crockpot, add the chicken, onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, paprika, thyme, allspice, crushed red pepper flakes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Next add the tomato paste, chicken broth, and balsamic vinegar. Give everything a gentle stir to combine. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or 4-6 hours on high, stirring once or twice if possible.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir the broccoli rabe, roasted red peppers, and cannellini beans together in a bowl and add to the crockpot. Crank the heat up to high, cover and let cook 20-30 minutes longer. Lightly shred the chicken with two forks, it should just fall apart. Stir in the parmesan and parsley. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with parmesan and crusty bread for dipping.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Glazed Winter Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes
1 lb.           parsnips
1 lb.           carrots
2 large     red onions, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup   sweetened dried cranberries
1 tbsp.      light brown sugar
3 tbsp.     olive oil
2 tbsp.     balsamic vinegar
1 tsp.        salt
1/2 tsp.   freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Peel the sweet potatoes, parsnips, and carrots, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Combine parsnips, carrots, onions, and cranberries in a lightly greased 6-qt. slow cooker; layer sweet potatoes over top.

Whisk together brown sugar and olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl; pour over vegetable mixture. (Do not stir.)

Cover and cook on high 4 to 5 hours or until vegetables are tender. Toss with parsley just before serving.