Jamie, here is a recipe for shredded chicken that you can use in enchiladas as well as other mexican dishes. Ann. Mexican Shredded Chicken By Kate Heyhoe Yield: About 4 to 5 cups shredded chicken, plus broth Traditional Mexican poached chicken uses water as the sole poaching liquid, but it also uses a whole bird with white and dark meat. The dark meat gives the broth a richer flavor than white meat alone. Because I use convenient chicken breast halves in this recipe, I add a can of low sodium chicken broth to the poaching liquid to make it more flavorful. After the chicken is shredded you can use it in all sorts of Mexican dishes, as described in my column Mexican Shredded Chicken & Toasted Corn Soup. Ingredients 3 to 4 chicken breast halves, with bone and skin (about 3 pounds) 1/2 onion, thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican 2 bay leaves Pinch of dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 (14.5-ounce) can low sodium chicken broth Arrange the chicken breast halves snugly in a large, deep saucepan or pot. Sprinkle on the onion, garlic, marjoram, oregano, bay leaves, thyme and salt. Add the can of chicken broth and enough water to just cover the chicken. Bring the liquid to a boil on high heat. Partially cover and reduce the heat to low, so the liquid just simmers. (Make sure the liquid does not boil again.) Cook for 7 minutes, then cover the pot completely and remove from the heat. Let the chicken cool in the broth for 30 minutes to 1 hour. At this point, the chicken and broth may be refrigerated until ready to use. Once cold, the fat will solidify on top and can be easily discarded. The chicken and broth will keep 2 to 3 days. Or, you may use the chicken immediately. Remove it from the broth and shred into small pieces, discarding the bone and skin. Reserve the broth for moistening the chicken shreds or for another use. (Discard the bay leaves.) Uses for shredded chicken: Serve in warm tortillas with salsa and lettuce. Pack into bolillos (Mexican rolls) with strips of pickled jalapeño and seasoned cabbage. Roll it into burritos, enchiladas or tacos. Mix it into a salad. Uses for the broth: Turn it into tortilla soup or Toasted Corn Soup, or use it as the cooking liquid for beans or rice.

You can find lots of variations on this red kidney bean curry online at Indian cooking sites, etc. This is the only recipe I can vouch for. Mixing up just the right balance for a curry I'm finding is very difficult. Also, for some reason I am just much more in love with the flavors of the Mediterranean. Here's another recipe I make in the crockpot. It is a soup, but pretty thick. Black Bean Soup with Red Paprika Sauce 1 lb. dried black beans, soaked overnight and drained. 8 cups water or broth (I always use mild veggie broth) 2 chopped med. onions 2 ribs celery 2 cups chopped tomatoes 2 TBLSP paprika 2 tsp. ground cumin 2 bay leaves 1/2 cup cilantro 1 cup corn Simmer beans and veggies until beans are soft. Then add tomatoes and spices and cook a couple hours more. Add the red paprika "sofrito" after the soup is done, just before serving. Do not add peppers to the dish while it's slow cooking, because peppers get bitter made in a slow cooker. I basically throw in everything except the tomato into the crockpot, add the tomatoes towards the end, and then when it's finished I stir in the Red Paprika Sauce. Yummo! Part of the charm of this soup comes from having good paprika on hand. If you miss a smokey taste in your black bean soup you can throw in some chorizo or ham or something. Being vegetarian, I sometimes add a tiny dash of fake bacon bits. Or fake sausage. But this soup I like plain. Red Paprika Sauce 2 TBLSP olive oil 1 large red pepper, diced 3 scallions, minced 2 tsp. paprika, or less, to taste 2 tsp. salt 2 TBLSP lime juice Sautee the peppers and onions in the olive oil and add the paprika, salt and lime juice at the end. Stir into the black bean soup. That's what gives this soup its yumminess, the addition of this fresh herb sofrito at the end. Here's another one that is easy and hearty, but I don't make it because it takes me so long to eat it up. Bean Cornbread Crockpot Casserole from vegetarian.about.com Serves 6 1 med. onion, chopped 1 med. green pepper, chopped (add at the end to the crockpot) 2 cloves garlic or 1/4 tsp. minced garlic powder 1 16 oz. can of kidney beans 1 16 oz. can of pinto beans (I'm not a pinto bean fan so I probably would use black beans) 1 16 oz. can chopped tomatoes 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce 1 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard 1/8 tsp. hot sauce or chopped jalepeno to taste Cornbread topping to be added at the last 1.5 hours of cooking. 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 cup all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 TBLSP sugar 1 1/2 cups milk 2 eggs 3 TBLSP veg. oil 1 can cream style corn (8 oz. can) Lightly grease crockpot. Add bean chili ingredients except peppers. Cook 8 hours on low. Add peppers and cornbread topping for the last 1.5 hours. Cook on high for the last 1.5 hours. (Directons sound kind of confusing but I think this is one of those "throw it in the crockpot and go to work and have dinner ready when you get home" recipes. So basically cook the bean chili all day on low in the crockpot, and when you get home make the cornbread topping and add the peppers. I'd sautee the peppers.) But I don't cook at all on the weekdays, so I made this on the weekend and adjusted the times accordingly. I cook the chili for 5-6 hours on low, then add the cornbread crust and the sauteed peppers, finish it off, and have it for Sunday dinner. And Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday. Which is why I don't make this often!

CROCKPOT MACARONI AND CHEESE 8 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk 1-1/2 cups milk 2 eggs 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper Place cooked macaroni in slow cooker that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Reserve 1 cup cheese; add rest of cheese and the other ingredients to the macaroni. Mix well. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cook on HIGH at least 2-1/2 hours. Do not remove cover or stir until ready to serve. Recipe courtesy of Mr. Food. RED-COOKED RIBS FOR CROCKPOT 3/4 cup hoisin sauce 3 Tblsp. dark soy sauce 2 Tblsp. mirin (Chinese wine - substitute dry sherry if you can't find it) 1 Tblsp. minced fresh ginger - I use more 1 Tblsp. honey 5 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp. ground allspice 1 Tblsp. grated orange zest - I use dried 1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed hot red pepper 6 scallions, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces 1 (8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts 3 pounds country-style pork ribs, trimmed of fat 1. In a small bowl, mix together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sherry, ginger, honey, garlic, allspice, orange zest, and hot pepper. 2. Place 1/3 of the scallions and water chestnut slices in a slow cooker (3-1/2 quart or larger). Top with some of the ribs and spoon some of the sauce. Repeat ending with the sauce. 3. Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or until the ribs are done. COMPANY CHICKEN CASSEROLE FOR CROCKPOT 8 oz. egg noodles 3 cups chicken, cooked, diced 1/2 cup celery, diced 1/2 cup green pepper, diced 1/2 cup onion, diced 4 oz. mushrooms, canned, drained 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 2 Tblsp. butter, melted 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated 1/2 tsp. basil 1-1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese 1 can cream of chicken soup Cook noodles according to package directions until barely tender; drain and rinse thoroughly. In large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients with the noodles, making sure the noodles are separated and coated with liquid. Pour mixture into a greased crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-10 hours. Can cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Serves 6.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup 1 or 2 boneless chicken breasts (can be frozen), cut into thirds 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (I like del monte) 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce 1 medium onion, chopped 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 bay leaf 1 (10 oz) package frozen corn 2 Tbsps chopped cilantro 7 corn tortillas Vegetable oil Place all ingredients (except cilantro, tortillas and vegetable oil) in crockpot. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks; stir in cilantro a few minutes before serving. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips; place on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, spread tortilla strips over soup. Makes 8 servings Adapted from allrecipes by several different sources My note: I added a little sugar toward the end (after testing) and bought canned whole chilies so I could remove seeds. Also made sure I bought Mild enchilada sauce! This is really delicious (and I like that I could throw in frozen chicken :) Ann