A couple of crockpot recipes to ease the transition into fall.

Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew

Serves 6

Here’s a dinnertime warmer with a hint of spring’s sweetness, designed for that day when you’d rather be outside raking the leaves from the garden, getting it ready for what’s ahead, than slaving over the stove.

Ingredients

6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed of fat

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into spears

1/2 pound white button mushrooms, thinly sliced

6 large shallots, peeled and halved

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup dry white wine

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar (you can use chicken broth instead)

Preparation

1. Place chicken, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, wine, rosemary, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Put the lid on and cook on low until the potatoes are tender, about 5 hours. Before serving, remove bones from the chicken, if desired, and stir in vinegar.

Nutrition information per serving (one chicken thigh) : 285 Calories; 6 g Fat; 35 g Carbohydrates; 17 g Protein; 519 mg Sodium.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

• For easy cleanup, try a slow-cooker liner. These heat-resistant, disposable liners fit neatly inside the insert and help prevent food from sticking to the bottom and sides of your slow cooker.

Recipe from EatingWell:  February/March 2006:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chicken_sweet_potato_stew.html

Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili

Serves 8

This soup has a mild chile flavor. If you want more heat, increase the amount of chili powder and don’t seed the jalapeños.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups organic vegetable broth

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped seeded jalapeno pepper (2 peppers)

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Combine first 12 ingredients in a 6-quart electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
2. Ladle soup into bowls; top with sour cream, cheese, and cilantro.

Nutritional Information per serving (serving size: 1 cup soup, 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1 tablespoon cheese, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro): 197 Calories; 3.8 g Fat;  11.2 g Protein; 28.9 g Carbohydrate; 591 mg Sodium.

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Recipe from Cooking Light Slow Cooker Tonight:  September 2012:  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/bean-vegetarian-chili