Deadline crowd shares quick-'n-easy recipes

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Nov 1, 2000 | by The Gazette

Knowing how busy we all are, Barbara Cotter, food section editor, asked some of us from the newsroom to share favorite crockpot or slow- cooker recipes with the community.

This recipe comes from Joy Harper, editorial assistant for the Life section.

"It's extremely flavorful, and fit for company," says Harper.

You can substitute canned whole-cranberry sauce for the fresh cranberries, she says, but it's more difficult to roll. If you do, use less brown sugar. Or don't roll at all - just cover chicken breasts with sauce ingredients, top with bread cubes and cook.

Orange-Cranberry Chicken Breasts

Serves 8

1 cup chopped fresh cranberries or 1 can whole-cranberry sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar (omit if using canned sauce)

5 slices cinnamon-raisin bread

2 tablespoons melted margarine or butter

1/4 teaspoon orange zest, chopped

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons melted margarine or butter

1 orange, sliced (for garnish)

In medium bowl, combine cran- berries and brown sugar; set aside. Toast bread; cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Combine bread cubes, 2 tablespoons melted margarine or butter, orange zest and cranberry mixture.

Place one chicken breast at a time in small plastic bag or between sheets of waxed paper. Lightly pound with meat mallet. Repeat with all breasts. Spoon about 1/3 cup cranberry mixture on center of each breast. Roll up; skewer to close (toothpicks work).

In shallow dish, combine orange juice and 2 tablespoons melted margarine or butter. Roll filled breasts in orange-juice-butter mix- ture. Place in slow cooker; cover and cook on low about 5 hours.

If you'd rather not bother rolling up the chicken breasts, follow these directions: Combine canned sauce with orange zest. Roll unfilled chicken breasts in orange- juice-butter mixture. Place in slow cooker. Cover with sauce; top with bread cubes. Drizzle 2 tablespoons melted margarine or butter over bread cubes. Cook on low about 5 hours.

To serve, remove chicken to platter. Spoon drippings over chicken. Garnish with orange slices.

Nutrition data, per breast: Calories 262 (36 percent from fat); fat 10.5 g (sat 4.9 g, mono 3.2 g, poly 1.5 g); protein 29 g; carbohydrates 12 g; fiber 1.14 g; cholesterol 90 mg; sodium 180 mg; calcium 32 mg.

Joanna Bean, deputy features editor, has two young children and not a lot of time to whip up gourmet meals. This crockpot recipe, originally in "Taste of Home" magazine, is one of her life-savers:

Tangy Pork Chops

Serves 4

4 (1/2-inch thick) pork chops

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 medium onions, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 large green pepper, sliced

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1/2 cup catsup

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 beef bouillon cube

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Hot cooked rice (optional)

Place chops in slow cooker; sprinkle with salt, if desired, and pepper. Add onions, celery, green pepper and tomatoes. Combine catsup, vinegar, sugar, Worcester- shire sauce, lemon juice and bouillon; pour over vegetables. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours.

Mix cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into liquid in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 30 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice, if desired.

Nutrition data, per chop: Calories 678 (27 percent from fat); fat 20.4 g (sat 6.6 g, mono 8 g, poly 3.4 g); protein 64 g; carbohydrates 63 g; fiber 10.16 g; cholesterol 156 mg; sodium 387 mg; calcium 294 mg.

Laura Austin-Eurich, entertainment staff copy editor, shared this recipe with Alicia Hocrath, day-side copy desk chief - and both swear by it. Austin-Eurich skips the veggies and serves this over noodles or rice.

Mable's Pot Roast

Serves 6

1 (2- to 3-pound) rump roast, trimmed of most fat

1 (family-size) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 packet onion soup mix

1 pound baby carrots

1 1/2-2 pounds new red potatoes

1 large yellow onion, chopped

Red wine vinegar to taste

Place roast in crockpot; cover with soup. Cook on high 8 or more hours. Add vegetables and vinegar after about 4 hours.

Nutrition data, per serving of 4 ounces meat and 8 ounces vegetables: Calories 373 (34 percent from fat); fat 14.1 g (sat 4.5 g, mono 4.5 g, poly 3.2 g); protein 33 g; carbohydrates 27 g; fiber 3.13 g; choles- terol 92 mg; sodium 720 mg; calcium 54 mg.

Linda Doty, a copy editor for the Life section, created this recipe herself and says the complexity of flavors belies the ease of this dish.

Garlic-Basil Crockpot Chicken

Serves 6

6 pieces frying chicken (prefera-bly breast pieces with ribs or boneless, skinless breasts; thighs are too high in fat)

1/4 cup white wine (optional)

1 small can mushroom pieces or slices, drained (optional)

1 can condensed cream of mushroom with roasted garlic soup

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved (1 piece per chicken breast)

1-2 chicken bouillon cubes, cut into 2-3 chunks each (or equivalent crystals)

6-12 (1-inch or longer) fresh basil leaves, 1 1/2-2 teaspoons dried

1-3 peppercorns (optional)