Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Spaghetti ***

I made this basically as written, except that I added crawfish and used angelhair pasta in place of spaghetti. Oh, and smoked sausage in place of andouille. Those are all just personal preferences, though. It was amazing. It technically does take a bit of prep time, but it's worth it. For me, it helped that I had cooked chicken on hand and used a frozen fajita pepper blend in place of the peppers. All I really had to do was cut up the sausage. I actually need to make it again soon, now that I think about it!

SLOW COOKER CAJUN CHICKEN SPAGHETTI
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Tablespoon)

10 oz (about 2/3 of a 1 lb box) dried spaghetti noodles
1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo sauce
1 medium (about 1 cup) yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 lb andouille sausage, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 can (14.5 oz) Muir GlenOrganic Diced Tomatoes Fire Roasted
1 1/2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

To start, cut the chicken into bite-size chunks and slice the andouille sausage.
Dice the whole onion, chop the bell pepper and mince the garlic. (Prep work over.)
Pour 1/3 of the Alfredo sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker and stir in the onions and garlic. Layer the chicken pieces on top of the saucy onions and sprinkle half of your Creole seasoning over the chicken.
Layer the bell pepper and sausage pieces over the chicken, then pour in the whole can of tomatoes (including the liquid). Top tomatoes with remaining Creole seasoning and Alfredo sauce.
Close the lid and cook on low for 4 hours. After 4 hours, give everything a stir and add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the sauce. Season with salt to taste, and add additional Creole seasoning if desired.
Break the spaghetti noodles in thirds and place them in the sauce. Stir until noodles are completely coated and submerged in the sauce, with no pieces sticking out.
Increase heat to high and cook, covered, for 20-25 more minutes. Give your pasta a good stir or two, and enjoy! NOTE: Keep in mind that once you turn the slow cooker off, the sauce and noodles will continue to cook for a few minutes. If you're not going to eat immediately, reduce the time you cook the noodles so that they are not overcooked by the time you're ready to eat.
*Amy's notes: I subbed angelhair pasta, smoked sausage, and a frozen fajita pepper blend. I also cut back on chicken and added crawfish.

Crockpot Corn & Crawfish Bisque ***

I found this one in an old cookbook.  We adore crawfish, so we tend to try a lot of new ways to work them into our menus.  The recipe below is doubled from what was posted in the cookbook.  It's me and three me/boys in our household, and the 3-5 servings that was listed in the original recipe would NOT have held up for us, lol.  I also like to have quite a bit left over for their lunches, now that the teenager prefers to take leftovers like his dad instead of sandwiches.  The original recipe had a full stick of margarine (so it would have been two sticks for my version), but I cut it down to just 2 tablespoons.  Honestly, I think you could skip it altogether.  I don't really see a need for it at all.  That's why I just put "optional" in the recipe below.  The original recipe also said to use cayenne pepper, but I went with the Cajun seasoning instead, so that it would have that Cajun-ish flavor to it.  Anyway, we all loved this.  We had it on a cold and icy night with some crusty rolls, and it hit the spot just perfectly.  Now I just wish it would go back to being cold so that we could have it again.  Ha!

CROCKPOT CORN & CRAWFISH BISQUE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ an old cookbook)

4 cans cream of potato soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
8 oz cream cheese
2 pints half-and-half
2 pkgs frozen crawfish meat, thawed
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning (to taste)
2 Tbsp margarine (optional)

Add all ingredients in crockpot and cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or low heat for 6-7 hours.
Stir until well-combined.

Slow Cooker Clean-Eating Jambalaya ****

I could have kept eating this all night.  Seriously.  I made a few minor alterations, but nothing that would greatly change the outcome.  My shrimp and chicken were frozen, so I just chucked them both in at the beginning of the cook time.  I cooked it for 6 hours on low and 1 hour on high.  I used a package of frozen peppers and onions (the fajita blend packs), just because I already had some in the freezer.  Similarly, I used Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning in place of the Cajun seasoning, because that's what I had on hand.  I accidentally picked up a tomato paste that had salt and basil and oregano, so I cut the salt from the recipe.  So basically, I used the recipe, but I just improvised a bit, lol.  Oh, I did cut the Creole seasoning to 2 tablespoons instead of 3, so that it wouldn't be too spicy for the kids.  It was absolutely perfect.  Just enough heat without being too hot for them.  Now I can't wait to have it again!  :-)

SLOW COOKER CLEAN-EATING JAMBALAYA

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ GetCrocked)

2 lbs. chicken breast, boneless, skinless

1/2 c. green bell pepper, diced

2 c. celery, finely diced

1 c. yellow onions

2 c. tomatoes, fresh, diced

2 c. chicken broth, Organic, Free Range

6 oz. tomato paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 T. cajun seasoning

1 tsp. sea salt

1 lb shrimp, uncooked wild-caught; peeled, and de-veined

2 c. cooked brown rice

Combine chicken breasts, bell pepper, celery, onion, tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, garlic, seasoning and salt into large, 6-quart slow cooker.

Cover. Cook on Low for 6 hours, or High for 3 hours.

Stir occasionally, if needed.

Add shrimp to slow cooker, stirring to combine.

Cover. Cook on Low for an additional 2 hours or on High for 1 hour.

Cook brown rice according to the directions on the package, stirring in the last 15-20 minutes before your meal is done.
*luckymommy/Amy's notes: I subbed 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning for the Cajun seasoning.  I also put frozen shrimp and chicken in at the beginning of the cook time and cooked for 6 hours on low and 1 hour on high.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya ***

(OP? ~ from BBC Recipe Box)

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ pound andouille sausage, diced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound frozen peeled and cooked shrimp, thawed
2 cups cooked rice

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme.
Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir in the thawed shrimp, cover and cook until the shrimp is heated through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over cooked rice.
**Amy's notes: I used chicken thighs and polish sausage. I also just added the uncooked rice (about 1.5 cups) to the crockpot at the end and put the lid on for another 10 minutes.