Cooking for my meat eater and myself :)

So the husband eats meat, we all know this! What we also know is that I don't and I don't like touching it, but I try to make him happy and cooking it once in a while....so what's a non-touching meat girl to do?! Use the crock pot, of course! I cut an onion and a bell pepper, if on hand, into large slices, throw it into the crock pot, spray the sides with cooking spray and through in chicken thighs (or whatever) and yes, roll your eyes if you must, if they are frozen I throw them in frozen! I add salt, pepper, McCormick seasoning and they cook on high for approx. 4 hours or low for approx. 6.....VIOLA! Hubby adds hot sauce or BBQ sauce and the meat eater smiles.

So that is what I made last night, but more excitingly I made the two sides below also! AND OMG!! they are YUMMY YUMMY and SUPER EASY! Cheap, yummy and easy.....that's what I'm all about! Make these sides!! You will love them!

The two recipes below are from Hilah Cooking and you can watch her cook them, each episode is about 4 minutes! Believe me, she is well worth the entertainment!

How To Cook Collard Greens

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of collard greens (Last night we used my FAV!!!, mustard greens, but I also bought Collards)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or balsamic, or cider vinegar)

The following is taken straight from Hilah's site: "Wash the greens well (spinach in particular has a nasty habit of being absolutely filthy). Remove the bottom inch or so of the stems. Holding the bunch together with one hand, slice the whole thing into about 1″ slices, perpendicular to the stem. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the garlic; cook it for about 10-20 seconds until it just barely changes color to light blond (like me! But real.) Add the greens, putting the stemmy pieces on the bottom and the leafier pieces on top. Sprinkle with the red pepper and salt. After about 30 seconds, toss it around to move the top to the bottom and the bottom to the top and all mixed up good. Continue tossing until the greens have wilted slightly and are bright green. Remove from heat and add the vinegar."

How To Make Rice Pilaf

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4-1/2 cup chopped other vegetables (optional) (***I added chopped baby carrots, YUM!)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon each butter and oil, or just oil (I used 2 tsp olive oil and spray oil)
• 1 cup rice or bulgur (We only use jasmine rice around here :) 
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
• Optional herbs: a teaspoon of dried dill, oregano, fenugreek, thyme, mint, tarragon, or basil (or just go crazy. Experiment.)1 7/8 cup water (the more vegetables you add, the less water you need since the liquid in the vegetables counts, too. For every 1/4 cup of vegetables you add, take out a tablespoon or so of water) (I used italian seasoning, my go to for everything HA!, but I used a bit more water, 2 1/2 cups)
• Optional: about 2 tablespoons nuts (pistachios, almonds, walnuts, you know what kind of nuts you like) (I was going to add sunflower seeds and forgot, no worries this is now a regular around this house)

The following is taken start from Hilah: "Melt the butter and oil and saute your vegetables and garlic for a couple of minutes to soften them. Add the rice and stir it around quickly to coat every grain. Let it toast up, stirring occasionally, for a couple more minutes. Add your herbs and seasonings. Stir it up. Add the water. Stir it again. Bring it to a boil. Turn down to low and put a lid on that sucker. Let it cook over low for 15 – 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and set it aside for 5 minutes. This is important. If you stir it right away you will break up the grains and the rice will get mushed and not be so fluffy. After it has rested, add your nuts and toss gently to incorporate. Serve."

The Prince had already eaten, but still ate some of the pilaf because he thought it was soooo yummy! - OH! We added fat free spray butter on top!