COOKING RICE IN A SLOW COOKER RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until the onion is limp and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the celery and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne and sage (if using); grind in a generous amount of black pepper and add 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir well to combine all the ingredients, then remove from the heat and scrape the mixture into a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker.
• Add the beans, bay leaves, thyme, sausage, ham hock and 6 cups water. Cook on high until the beans are very tender and creamy, about 7 hours.
• Before serving, add salt or cayenne to taste. Using a fork or the back of a spoon, mash some of the beans against the side of the slow cooker to make the mixture slightly creamy. (It will continue to thicken as it sits.) Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs; you can pick the meat off the ham hock if you like. Top the beans with hot cooked rice and scallions; serve with hot sauce.

Steps:

• Place onion, brown rice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, dried thyme, salt and pepper in bottom of slow cooker.
• Pour in broth and stir until well combined.
• Add chicken to the slow cooker. Sprinkle chicken with additional black pepper.
• Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, until chicken is cooked through and rice has absorbed almost all of the broth. In my slow cooker this took 3 hours on high.
• When the slow cooking time is almost finished, cook the broccoli. You can steam it on the stove or in the microwave, or roast it in your oven. (It is also possible to cook the broccoli in the slow cooker by adding it on top of the rice and chicken during the last hour of cook time. If you slow cook the broccoli it will lose its vibrant green color. I get best results when I steam the broccoli on the stove.)
• When chicken and rice are done, remove chicken to a cutting board.
• Add the plain Greek yogurt (if using), Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese to the rice in the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
• Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and add to the slow cooker along with the cooked broccoli. Stir and serve.