Sour Cherry Rice Pudding

Sour Cherry Rice Pudding

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup Arborio rice, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup cherry juice
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground nutmeg

Combine water, rice and evaporated milk in a 2- to 3- quart Crockpot.  In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and milk; cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute or until bubbles appear around the edges and the sugar has dissolved.  Stir into Crockpot with salt.  Cover and cook on LOW for 4 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, bring cherry juice to a boil and pour over cherries in a small bowl; let stand 10 minutes.  Drain, reserving the juice.

After cooking the rice 4 1/2 hours, stir in the cherries, 3 Tbsp. cherry juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Cover and cook on LOW for 20 minutes more, then turn the cooker off, slide the lid open so it is partially covered and allow to sit an additional 30 minutes.  Scoop into a bowl, cover and refrigerate.  (To clarify, the whole cooking and sitting amount of time is just under 5 1/2 hours).  Makes four servings.

Source

Light Potato Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

• 6 large potatoes
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 4 green onions, chopped (some reserved for garnish)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups evaporated skim milk
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 
  

Directions: Combine all ingredients in crock of slow cooker except cheese. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Remove lid and mash potatoes with a potato masher, stir in cheese, replace lid and cook an additional five minutes, or until cheese is melted through. Pour into bowls and garnish with additional green onions. Serves 6.

Tips: Make your potato soup zesty by adding a few hits from your favorite bottle of hot sauce. Customize your soup without adding too many calories or fat grams by adding healthful mix-ins: crumbled vegetarian bacon, fresh corn, roasted red peppers, or diced japaneno are all welcome additions.

You can use regular skim milk, but evaporated skim has a creamier texture.

Source

Slow-Baked Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• One 12 oz can evaporated milk (I used skim, evaporated milk keeps the egg and milk from curdling)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled to room temp
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups (12 oz) shredded cheese (I used an Italian blend, recipe calls for Italian fontina cheese)
• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni or mini penne tubes, par cooked and drained (this means cook them for about five minutes until tender but not completely cooked)
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Directions:


Spray the inside of your slow-cooker with cooking spray or grease it with olive oil. Combine milk, evaporated milk, eggs, butter, and salt in slow-cooker and whisk until until smooth (or you can use an immersion blender to do the whisking for you). 


Add the shredded cheese (not the Parmesan) and macaroni, sprinkle with black pepper (and whatever other spices you want to use). Stir gently with a spatula to coat evenly. 


Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes. 
After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to LOW and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until custard is set in the center and the pasta is tender. The macaroni and cheese may sit in the cooker on the KEEP WARM setting for 30 minutes before serving. Before dishing it up, I sautéed some bread crumbs with olive oil and sprinkled them over the top to make it a little fancier. 


Source