Vegetarian Slow Cooker

Black Eyed Peas

2010-01-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

Black Eyed Peas, a classic Southern staple, are traditionally made on New Years Day to usher in and bring luck to the new year. These were not made on New Years Day. This Vegetarian Slow Cooker has never made or even tried black eyed peas before today. Black eyed peas were but one of the abundant varieties of dried legumes featured in the Winco bulk bins. Accomplished Southern cooks say that making these correctly results in a bean gravy. They are supposed to be filling and comforting. Traditional recipes always involve a meaty ham hock and, more often than not, a lot of sausage. This adaptation tries to create a similar, if not perfect, replication of the flavors from those absent meat components.

The beans were soaked from afternoon until just before bedtime. Then everything was tossed in the crock and they cooked on low all night and through the morning. They were ready at late lunch time.

Winner, Loser or Meh

These were very good. Not having had the original, I can't make an informed comparison, but I loved these! They were so soft and tender. The sausage was just okay - not my fav. I can't tell how much the Boca sausage added to the flavor of the bean gravy. Uncle Meat & Potatoes, a major bean lover, enjoyed these very much as well.

Recipe:

I used a 6 quart crock for this

Ingredients:

1 lb dried black eyed peas
6 cups water
1 Tbls white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbls brown sugar
1.5 ounces imitation bacon bits (about 1/2 a jar)
8 oz package of Boca meatless breakfast links, cut into chunks
Kosher salt to taste, about 2 tsps
2 Tbls butter or margarine

Soak the beans overnight covered by 2-3 inches of water. Drain the bean water and add the soaked beans, 6 cups of water, and all other ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

Ooglash

2010-01-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

What the heck is this you ask? The entire extended family, aunts and uncles alike, love, love, love a 50's style ground beef concoction Grandma Yan made as a weekly kitchen staple while they were growing up. She calls it "Goulash". The entire family calls it "Goulash". When assorted family members venture back to the Owens Valley for a visit, they call ahead and request a huge pot be on the stove when they arrive.It was time for a meatless adaptation.

This Vegetarian Slow Cooker called her Grandma today to get the original recipe. " Oh...you know, it's all the same stuff that's in stuffed peppers," she said, and proceeded to talk enthusiastically and appreciatively about her new blanket. At an appropriate break in the conversation, she was asked for specifics about the recipe. She quickly rattled off a proportionless list of ingredients, and without missing a beat, changed course, gleefully recounting her adventures with the new blanket. At the next conversational break, she was asked about ingredient proportions and said absently, "Oh, you know, a bunch of ground beef .... a can of tomatoes in the blender....," and then went right back into blanket revelry. For those who might not have guessed, she loves the new blanket.

Research on authentic Goulash reveals it to be a Hungarian chunk beef stew that usually has potato as the starch component. There are numerous Americanized versions of Goulash, and they all have ground beef and starches ranging from potatoes to macaroni, but never corn. There is only one thing unilaterally common to all Goulash recipes, be they American or Hungarian, and that is paprika. Yan's "Goulash" has no paprika. Its only starch is corn.

For search engine purposes, calling this Goulash didn't seem right and renaming it "Goolash" seemed even worse. So because everyone in the family loves Yan's recipe, but especially our recently departed Uncle Oog, (yes that was his real family nickname), its new Vegetarian cyberspace name is "Ooglash".

Winner, Loser or Meh

Three authentic family members love this and have eaten the entire batch in under 20 minutes. Yes. All.Of.It. Grunting Junk Loving Teenager, the one with the broken leg whose wisdom teeth were removed yesterday, jumped the gun and started back on solid food as soon as this was finished. He had two bowls and returned to his temporary couch ridden life of pain relievers, warm saline oral rinses, jello, and Madden NFL 10. Uncle Meat & Potatoes, second only to Oog in his love for the original recipe, has declared it "very, very good." Ya think?

Recipe:

I used a 6 quart crock pot for this

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled, diced
2 green peppers, seeded, diced. (I used one green and one red pepper)
1 large clove garlic, minced
28 oz can tomato puree, Italian style
l lb bag frozen sweet corn
2 12 oz packages frozen Morningstar Farms Grillers Crumbles
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Saute onions and peppers until onions are translucent and peppers are softened. Add garlic and saute for a minute or two more. Add this and all other ingredients (yes put the stuff in frozen) to the crock. Stir. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8.

Mandarin Orange Curd

2010-01-21T21:20:00.000-08:00

Family Grays Anatomy bonding night. There is no question that this experiment in curd was inspired by Grandma Yan's Lemon Curd, a drop dead winner if there ever was one. Confession: It was equally, if not more inspired, by the fact that it was already 6PM and there was nothing in the crock on this fifth day of unrelenting wind and rain. No crock plans had been made, pantry supplies were low, and the cook is tired. Auntie EQ had some aging Mandarin oranges lying around, Gray's would be over by 10 PM, so this became tonight's dessert plan by default. Announcements were made by this Vegetarian Slow Cooker that a new curd would be started. Silently, Auntie EQ got up, reached into the freezer for her stash of rice flour, and started working on a new batch of Scottish shortbread. The unspoken symbiotic bond between us grows stronger each day. Keep in mind that culinary inspiration such as this is usually not based on considered and informed flavor profiles. Let's hope for the best and expect the worst.

Winner, Loser or Meh

The flavor was mild, light, barely present orange. I doubt this would happen with an orange like a Valencia. Mandarin oranges are very mild as it is. It also curdled slightly (see photo and edges of the Pyrex) so the instructions to whisk once after an hour will need to be modified and it should be whisked every 15 minutes. Uncle Meat & Potatoes liked this better than the Lemon Curd, claiming it was less sweet. It had the exact same amount of sugar as the Lemon Curd, so I am not sure what he was tasting. The rest of us like the Lemon Curd best. This experiment needs work.

Recipe

I used a 5 1/2-6 quart crock for this

Ingredients

Juice and zest of 4 Mandarin oranges
1 cup sugar
8 Tbls butter
4 eggs

Turn crock heat to high. Pour enough very hot tap water into the crock to go 2/3 up the outside of an empty 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup (or similar heat safe bowl). Put orange juice, zest, butter, and sugar into the 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup (or other heat safe bowl) and set it inside the hot water filled crock. Cover the crock with its lid and cook for about 30 minutes, until the butter and sugar have melted and dissolved. Stir the orange mixture well. In a bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. Add a few tablespoons of the orange mixture to the beaten eggs while stirring vigorously to temper the eggs before adding to the orange mixture in the crock. Then, slowly pour the egg mixture into the orange mixture in the Pyrex while whisking the contents of the Pyrex. When everything is well blended, cover the Pyrex with foil. Cover the crock with its lid and reduce temperature to low. Cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, whisking after about an hour. Towards the end of the cooking time, whisk well and test to see if it is done. It is done when the orange curd coats the back of a spoon. Makes about 3 cups. This will keep for about 3 weeks, covered in the fridge.

Glazed Carrots

2010-01-20T18:42:00.000-08:00

What's up Doc? More vegetable side dishes. One pound bags of organic baby carrots were $0.99 today. Auntie EQ has a few tablespoons left of home canned Orange Marmalade made by her brother, Treasured Landscape Visionary. Hopefully the combination will be a match made in heaven.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

These were good. We all liked these. They have a light natural sweetness to them. If I make these again, I will add a little fresh ground nutmeg just before serving. If you are expecting a heavy syrupy style glazed carrot dish, this is not your recipe. If you want a light natural and slightly sweet accompaniment to a meal, these are the ticket.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 -3 quart crock for this

Ingredients:

1 lb baby carrots
2 cups very hot water
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbls butter or margarine
2Tbls pecans or walnuts, chopped
3 Tbls orange marmalade

Put first 3 ingredients in crock. Cover and cook until carrots are tender about 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook on high for 30 minutes. Serve.

Bavarian Red Cabbage (Sauerkraut)

2010-01-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

Time for some vegetable side dishes to be used with meals later this week. This is a variation of a classic subtle sauerkraut recipe accompaniment to pork dishes. Butter or margarine and some soy sauce was substituted for the traditional bacon grease. It can also be chilled and served as a cold side dish.

It's cheap and easy. Everything can be tossed in the crock in the morning and left to cook on low all day. It can also be started in the afternoon and left to cook for a few hours on high.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

These were very good. I just really wanted traditional pork sausages to go with it. I am saving this batch for tomorrow's dinner. Uncle Meat & Potatoes liked this and wants some Polish Sausage to put it on. I may be off to Trader Joes in the morning to find some mock pork sausage. Any readers who want to chime in with some great tried and true mock pork sausage recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 - 3 quart crock for this and it was packed to the brim.

Ingredients:

1 small head red cabbage, cored and sliced into strips
1 medium yellow onion, peeled, diced
1 cup very hot water
2 tsps salt
1/2 tsp soy sauce
3 Tbls butter or margarine
1 1 /2 Tbls sugar
1 cup white vinegar

Add all ingredients to the crock. Stir. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Serve.

Lemon Curd

2010-01-19T23:15:00.000-08:00

A year after leaving for college, and shortly after moving into an apartment, loneliness and homesickness settled in for a long unwelcome stay. Longing for the comforts of my childhood haven, a call was made to Grandma Yan (Yan 1, Yan 2, Yan 3). Her comfort and advice frequently sought, she administered a loving dose of laughter and good cheer. She was asked to send a few easy recipes so that the mastery of inexpensive home cooking could begin. A few days later, an envelope arrived with an assortment of her left hand written recipe cards. French Onion Soup, Clam Chowder, and Lemon Curd were amongst them. On the card for Lemon Curd, she noted: "Delicious! Eat this with cookies, (or biscuits as they are always called by the English) and a good hot cup of tea." Over the last 30 years, her sound advice on this matter has been taken often .

This is an experimental crock adaptation of Yan's Lemon Curd. It was assembled in a few minutes using fresh lemons from Meticulous Yard Man Neighbor's backyard tree. The batch was left in the crock to succeed or fail during tonight's airing of American Idol auditions.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This is simply divine. So much simpler, easier, and foolproof than the double boiler stove method. Three of us ate warm spoonfuls while making love sounds. Uncle Meat & Potatoes and I had visions of eating this warm, slathered over shortbread, during tomorrow night's continued American Idol tryouts. Auntie EQ suggested we mix it with Greek style yogurt because "it would be more healthy". I scowled. Uncle Meat & Potatoes announced he would pick up 'Nila Wafers on the way home from work. Accepting that she was outnumbered, Auntie EQ came to her senses and reached for her privately printed family recipe collection which has a top secret authentic Scottish Shortbread recipe, one that came over on the immigrant's boat. (Cheat: The secret ingredient is rice flour) Living for tomorrow!

Recipe:

I used a 5 1/2-6 quart crock for this

Ingredients

Juice and zest of 3 large lemons, unwaxed (Like the ones from the backyard)
1 cup sugar
8 Tbls butter
4 eggs

Turn crock heat to high. Pour enough very hot tap water into the crock to go 2/3 up the outside of an empty 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup (or similar heat safe bowl). Put lemon juice, zest, butter, and sugar into the 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup (or other heat safe bowl) and set it inside the hot water filled crock. Cover the crock with its lid and cook for about 30 minutes, until the butter and sugar have melted and dissolved. Stir the lemon mixture well. In a bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. Add a few tablespoons of the lemon mixture to the beaten eggs while stirring vigorously to temper the eggs before adding to the lemon mixture in the crock. Then, slowly pour the egg mixture into the lemon mixture in the Pyrex while whisking the contents of the Pyrex. When everything is well blended, cover the Pyrex with foil. Cover the crock with its lid and reduce temperature to low. Cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, whisking after about an hour. Towards the end of the cooking time, whisk well and test to see if it is done. It is done when the lemon curd coats the back of a spoon. Makes 3 cups. This will keep for about 3 weeks, covered in the fridge.

Ranch Potatoes

2010-01-18T21:55:00.000-08:00

This was a complete experiment, not expected to turn out well. It was never planned as a serious contender for today's evening meal. Uncle Meat & Potatoes and Auntie EQ went to Grunting Junk Loving Teenager's football awards night. The Spinach Fluff had been consumed, Auntie EQ had a pasta and cheese casserole and then there was a mad dash out the door for the awards. The potatoes would be finished sometime after 9 PM, around the time everyone was scheduled to return. When they returned, Uncle Meat & Potatoes asked for some potatoes. We dished up some bowls.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Everyone had 3 bowls. I guess they were our dessert. I thought the flavor was a bit too strong from the ranch mix and maybe it needed less of it, in fact I would have preferred potatoes alone smothered in butter. Everyone else seemed to think it was great. Note, I had 3 bowls, too. It was being consumed so fast, I was afraid there wouldn't be any left for a picture. There are loads of sauce with this, even after the potatoes are consumed. Uncle Meat & Potatoes wanted crusty bread cubes so that he could pretend the sauce was fondue. He's likely to get his wish tomorrow.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 - 3 quart crock for this.

Ingredients:

2 lbs red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into large chunks
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 can cream of mushroom soup
salt & pepper to taste

Spray crock with no stick spray. Put potatoes in crock pot. Mix the ranch mix, cream cheese, and soup together in a bowl until well blended. Pour over potatoes. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste.

French Onion Soup

2010-01-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

The rain started today. Six full days of heavy rain are expected, perfect soup crock weather. In omnivore times, this Vegetarian Slow Cooker made French Onion Soup on a near weekly basis. It always started with the prior night's crock pot roast juices. Creating a fabulous French Onion Soup without an animal base has been a challenge. A small batch was tried last week, using crock Vegetable Stock as the broth component. It was way too sweet and did not have the intense rich flavor of an animal stock. Today another attempt was made using Vegetable Better than Bouillon and some soy sauce as the broth base. Do not be intimidated by the length of the instructions below. This has got to be one of the easiest things to make in a crock. It is very forgiving. Start the onions the night before or in the morning. Even letting the onions sit in the unplugged crock for a few hours or overnight in the fridge won't hurt it.

Most of French Onion Soup fun is the wondrous crusty melty cheese top. The weekend at Uncle Meat & Potatoes and Auntie EQ's was perfect for taking advantage of their working oven. If you don't have a broiler or oven to finish off the crusted cheese top, add the cheese to the bottom of the bowl, then the crouton, and ladle steaming hot soup on top. It won't look as spectacular, but it's still a good eat.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was very good. Good enough to write and post about. We had it for a late lunch and everyone ate it all up very quickly with little conversation until their individual two cup soup crocks were empty. My only complaint is that the Vegetable Better than Bouillon has an intense celery seed like flavor and I was not thrilled to end on those bitter notes. It was, however, infinitely better then the version last week. Any readers who know of a drop dead wonderful substitute for beef broth in vegetarian cooking, please pass on your finds. I'd love to try them.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this

Ingredients:

See and use Caramelized Onion recipe for the base. The following amounts for this batch of onion base was cooked overnight on low until it reached the color in the picture below:

3 Tbls butter
5 large onions, peeled, thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, peeled, minced

After the Caramelized Onion base has finished, add to the crock the ingredients below. Cover and cook on high for about on hour:

1 Tbls soy sauce
6 cups vegetable broth (Vegetable Better than Boullion and water)
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

After this has enough time to get simmering hot, add:

1/3 cup dry sherry
pepper to taste

Cook the soup covered while the broiler is started, and the below items prepared:

3/4 pound Gruyere cheese, grated
6 slices crusty french bread or 12 large garlic croutons made from single slices of baguette

Ladle soup into oven safe bowls. Top with bread slice to fit or two croutons to fit. Cover with 1/6 the cheese. Place all bowls on a cookie sheet and place under broiler until the top is brown and melted. Remove tray from the broiler and using oven mitt place each bowl on a room temperature plate. Serve immediately.

Eggless Rice Pudding

2010-01-15T23:04:00.000-08:00

The chilly rain pours. No one wants to venture out. Something warm and comforting is needed. There is a bag of lemons, fresh picked from Meticulous Yard Man Neighbor's backyard tree, and a 1/2 carton of heavy cream for which the "sell by date" passed two days ago. Surely there is something that can be made without leaving the house. This is easily assembled with ingredients most people have in the pantry. It takes about 5 minutes to throw together. Warm and comforting, a perfect rainy day dessert or breakfast.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

My Lord this was good. It was a cross between a dessert and a wonderful hot breakfast cereal. The combination of the nutmeg, golden raisins and lemon zest was nothing short of sensational, refreshing and light tasting. Don't make this without the zest. The top will get a brown speckled filmy crust when finished. It is delicious. The picture below was taken after a big spoon broke the crust and tasting had begun. This does not bind like a regular rice pudding. Who cares. It's very satisfying.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2-3 quart crock for this

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked converted rice
2 1/2 cups 2% milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
zest of 1/2 lemon
1tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cream

Spray crock with no stick spray. Add all ingredients. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve warm (with a generous splash of milk) or cold.

(Backdated: Made and written Sunday 1/17/2010)

Spinach Fluff

2010-01-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

According to the source recipe, this was supposed to be a Spinach Souffle. This Vegetarian Slow Cooker knows enough about food to know that mayonnaise does not a souffle make. So what? Perhaps it would be more of a white trash souffle. Who cares, so long as it tastes good? This was easy to assemble, taking about 5 minutes. It was the perfect size for a 2 1/2 - 3 quart crock. When it was finished, it bore absolutely no resemblance to a souffle, white trash or otherwise. It didn't taste like one either. Does that mean it was bad? And what do we call it?

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was very fluffy and light, even though it is loaded with fat and not even remotely light. Uncle Meat & Potatoes and Auntie EQ really really like it, I was thinking more of a meh. It has many of the same ingredients that are in spinach dips, but it tastes much lighter even though it isn't "light" in the calorie department. Uncle Meat & Potatoes opened up a tube of Ritz crackers (that I was saving for another recipe ) and loved it even more with the crackers. I wished I had either used sharp cheddar or garlic or salt or all three for a bit more of a flavor punch. Bottom line everyone really really loved this, except me. I can still taste the mayonnaise as I type this.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 - 3 quart crock for this

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 oz Neufatchel cheese, softened
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp pepper
30 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed of all water
1/4 cup onion, peeled, grated

Spray crock with no stick spray. Add first 4 ingredients to a bowl and mix with a fork until well blended. Add spinach and onions and stir until evenly distributed. Pour into the crock. Cover and cook on high for 2 - 3 hours.

(Backdated: Made and written Monday 1/17/2010)

Pineapple Crisp

2010-01-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

Time for another dessert in the other half of the Rival Double Crock. Dole Canned Pineapple and Ritz crackers were on entry aisle super sale at Winco today. Pineapple was $.88 a can and a giant boxes of Ritz crackers were $2.38. Creamy Peas & Onions were cooking in one side of the crock. Pineapple seemed the perfect dessert accompaniment to cut any leftover pea creaminess on the palate after dinner. This was a breeze to assemble. Into the crock in under 5 minutes and it only took that long because the pineapple had to be cut into chunks. This was easily accomplished using a butter knife to cut the fruit right inside the can.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This was very good. Uncle Meat & Potatoes ate a bite and said "Mmmmm. Ding, ding, ding we have a winner". I'd end the review here, except the next sentence out of his mouth was "how did you manage to get the apples to have such an interesting texture?" Given that he couldn't tell the difference between a pineapple and an apple I waited for independent evidence of the dessert's winningness. When petite, rarely interested in food, Auntie EQ asked for her second bowl, I knew we had a hit.

Recipe

I used a 3 quart crock for this.

Ingredients:

2 cans pineapple chunks or whole cut into chunks, well drained, divided
1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
3/4 cup crushed butter crackers (like Ritz), divided
3 Tbls butter, divided (vegans can use margarine)

Spray crock with no stick spray. Add 1 can drained pineapple to crock and spread evenly. Spread 1/2 the brown sugar evenly over the pineapple. Sprinkle 1/2 the cracker crumbs evenly over the brown sugar. Dot top evenly with 1/2 the butter. Repeat layering process with remaining ingredients in the same order. Take a dish towel or a few paper towels and place across the top of the crock. Cover and pull edges of towel into the center. The towel will serve as a moisture wick. Cook on low for 2 hour. Uncover and turn off heat. Allow to cool for 15- 20 minutes before serving so juices can cool and set.

(Backdated: Made and written Saturday 1/16/2010)

Creamy Peas & Onion

2010-01-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

Looking for easy cheap comfort food loaded with protein, calcium, and fiber. This is just what the doctor ordered. This was made in the Rival Double Crockpot with a Pineapple Crisp cooking right along side it. This Vegetarian Slow Cooker is spending a social weekend with Uncle Meat & Potatoes and Auntie EQ. Grunting (still growing) Junk Loving Teenager broke his leg playing football and all food must be carried to him at all times by any and all nearby willing and unwilling adults. Did I mention the adults around here are exhausted? Hopefully, this combo will save us all some time in the kitchen.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was wonderful. I want to go steady with it. The sauce was so perfect and the Creole Seasoning a must. We all loved this and it was consumed so fast there were no leftovers. Even Grunting Junk Loving Teenager asked for more, but it was too late. All gone.

Recipe

I used a 3 quart crock for this. This recipe can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

16 ounces frozen petite green peas
2 Tbls butter
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp Creole Seasoning
1 tsp flour
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Add first three ingredients to crock. Stir. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. Sprinkle flour on pea mixture and stir. Add cream and cheese and stir well. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30- 45 minutes. Sauce will thicken. Stir to incorporate all ingredients. Serve warm.

(Backdated: Made and written Saturday 1/16/2010)

Caramelized Onions

2010-01-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

For those who love caramelized onions, the crock will be your new best friend. In omnivore times, before discovering the wonders of the crock, this Vegetarian Slow Cooker would dutifully stand at the stove for nearly an hour or more, and go through the process of caramelizing onions to perfection for whatever cuisine was to be featured for the day - usually French Onion Soup. Then came the crock. After slicing and tossing, and possibly one or two stirs, the result was exactly the same as the laborious stove top method. As these onions are allowed to cook in their own juices they slowly transform into the thick, deep, rich, sweet taste we all know and love. These take a while in the crock, but it matters not if one plans ahead. They keep in the fridge for quite a while. These are fabulous for tossing into vegetable side dishes, pastas, pizzas and perfect as the classic base of a French Onion Soup. Slice as many or as little as you like. The end result is the same.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

These are true winners. I have been making them for years. Watch this carefully at the end until you know the quirks of your own crock because they can go from underdone to perfect to over done in plus or minus an hour. I have made these in many types of crocks and each one has its own heat settings and quirks. If you use a black crock, you may need to stir them once or twice in the first 6 hours as the black crockery causes the edges to burn slightly. Even if you don't do this, it won't be fatal.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 - 3 quart crock for this. A larger crock can be used for bigger batches.

Ingredients:

As many or as few onions as you like, peeled, sliced thin (for this batch I used one giant onion)
1-2 tsp butter or olive oil for every medium sized onion (I used 1 Tbls for the super giant onion)
(optional) 1/2 clove garlic, minced, for every 1-2 medium onions (I used Christopher's jarred, 1 clove equivalent)

Spray crock with no stick spray. Add ingredients in order listed. Stir. Cover and cook on high 10-12 hours. Check and stir once or twice to make sure the edges are okay. In my 3 quart crock high is what works. In my 6 quart crock low is what works.

Baked Apples

2010-01-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

On most frugal themed blogs in the vast cloud of cyberspace, January is "use only things already in your pantry month". No joke. Given the frigid temperatures in most of the country, one can only assume this has more to do with not wanting to go outside than being particularly frugal, but perhaps it is a combination of both. In the spirit of frugal blogs everywhere, nothing was used today that was not already in the cupboard. This body never ventured out the front door to face the cold either. Today's simple crock dessert was born of necessity. There is still an abundance of Satay, Tamales, and Wendy's Chili (Copycat) in the fridge. No desserts in sight. Reading about someone's apple pie on a non-frugal blog set off cravings which this satisfied. Too bad there wasn't any vanilla ice cream or whipped cream already in the pantry.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

These are really nice. Not overly sweet, and they taste very wholesome. Easy. Simple.

Recipe

I halved the recipe below and used a 2 1/2 -3 quart crock for this. A full recipe would work in a 5-6 quart round or oval

Ingredients

4 large baking apples, unpeeled, cored
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup raisins, or dried cranberries, or dried cherries, or combination (I used raisins)
2 Tbls butter, melted (vegans can use margarine)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I used several twists from my nutmeg grinder)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)(I used walnuts)
1/4 cup dry white wine or apple juice (optional) (I didn't use any, didn't have any and wasn't leaving the house)

Mix brown sugar and dried fruit together and stuff tightly into the cored apple. Sprinkle the apples with cinnamon and nutmeg. If using wine/apple juice add to the melted butter. Pour tthe butter mixture over the apples. Top cores with nuts. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8.

Tamales

2010-01-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

In the Central Valley we enjoy the rich culturally infused presence of Mexican tradition. Holiday Tamales are but one of those traditions. A full day is usually spent in holiday Tamale making. An olive is always found in one - It is considered good luck to have them and bad luck if they are absent.

In omnivore times, a call was made to the Mexican bakery and orders placed for a fresh batch of specially prepared lard infused masa. Nothing in the world tastes quite like it. This Vegetarian Slow Cooker has no illusions. Tamales without lard will not result in any mystical food eating experience, but that doesn't mean we should give up entirely. I'm willing to have Tamales that are less than a religious experience, so long as they taste really good. Here is the first attempt.

The filling for this was inspired by a recipe on this blog. My adaptation uses a lot more liquid and flavorings in filling and casings because there will not be a traditional mole. The Masa was prepared according to the package instructions but modified as follows: Coconut oil was used instead of vegetable oil and an abundance of garlic and cumin were added since there would be no glorious flavor infusion from lard.

Instead of steaming these in a large water laden stock pot for an hour or more, the crock was used instead. No water is required when steaming Tamales in the crock. It takes about 6 hours. After the Tamales are prepared and rolled in the husks, load as many as you can stuff in the crock and walk away. The house smells divine for hours, a small religious experience in and of itself.

Winner, Loser or Meh

These are sort of tasty. On the dry side. There will be attempts to make this better. They would benefit from some warm green sauce. They were crocked, and put right in the fridge overnight. Tasting occurred the next day. These freeze well and the corn husk, left intact, is the perfect wrapping for reheating in the microwave.

Recipe

This makes enough to fill two 5 1/2-6 quart crocks, so halve the recipe if you only have a single large crock.

Ingredients:

Casings:

8 oz bag dried corn husks, soaked in warm water for 1/2 an hour, leave in warm water while preparing
5 lb bag masa, room temperature
1 cup coconut oil, room temperature
1 1/2 cups stock, warm (I used Vegetable Better than Bouillon & water)
1 Tbls plus 1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbls salt
1 Tbls plus 1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbls baking powder

Working in a large bowl, use your hands to mix all ingredients together except the corn husks. Work ingredients in in small batches until everything is integrated evenly. It will have the consistency of sticky mashed potatoes when finished.

Filling:

2 bags Morningstar "chicken" strips, defrosted, shredded
1 1/2 cups large garlic stuffed green olives, each olive cut into 4th, garlic cut in half. (I bought mine from the Winco deli case)
reserve liquid from olives, about 1/2 cup
15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained, reserve 1/4 cup liquid to mash half the beans and then add to other half
2 fajita seasoning packet mixes

In a large bowl add the chicken strips , olives, garbanzo bean mixture. Make fajita sauce according to packet instructions, but use the reserved olive liquid instead of water. Add to the bowl and mix well.

Assembly:

Take a warm wet corn husk from the water, spread golf ball sized ball of masa in the center. Spread to between 1/8th and 1/4 inch thickness. Add 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons filling. Make sure a garlic segment and 1/2 an olive is in the middle. Roll like a burrito.

When tamales are assembled,place in slow cooker. Cook covered on high about 6 -8 hours. Test for doneness by peeling back husk to see if masa will completely separate cleanly from husk.

Satay

2010-01-05T22:05:00.000-08:00

Satay is a sweet spicy peanut sauce that is often used in Thai cooking. This is a variation of a stove top satay that a Mother Unit makes which my brother, Golden Artisan Man loves. I have made the original version for him as a Christmas gift in the past. The family likes to serve this with shrimp ladled over rice. In this modified version lemons were swapped out for limes to be more consistent with classic Thai flavors. The spices were ramped up significantly, in some cases doubled. More brown sugar was added to account for the use of 100% pure peanut butter, fresh ground at Winco. Most commercially prepared peanut butters have large amounts of sugar and other oils in them. The original stove top version was simple enough, but this was even simpler.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This was so good. I made it last night and actually ate some today I really think it needs to have wedges of lime and cilantro as a garnish for serving. The taste is reminiscent of a warmed version of the dressing on a California Pizza Kitchen Thai Crunch Salad. My camera is not being friendly, so sorry for the less than appetizing shot featured here. This is oh so much better than the picture suggests.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2-3 quart crock for this

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup peanut butter (I used fresh ground 100% peanuts)
6 Tbls brown sugar
6 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 large sweet onion, peeled, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 green or red peppers or combination, seeded, cored and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbls plus 2 tsps soy sauce
2 tsps chili paste
juice of two limes (about 4 Tbls)

Add all ingredients except the lime juice to the crock. Stir well. (I used a potato masher). Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8. (I did high for 3 1/2). Stir in lime juice. Add more water if thinner consistency is desired. Serve warm over rice.

Wendy's Chili (Vegetarian Copy Cat)

2010-01-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

Another regular addition to my family maintenance style cooking for the 20 years I had children at home during my omnivore life was a Wendy's chili copy cat. It was a wonderful low fat, high fiber meal in its beef incarnation. It was Weight Watchers point friendly and everything could be tossed in the crock in the morning in about 10 minutes before heading out the door. It is even lower in fat and higher in fiber in this vegetarian adaptation. The fat that is present in beef is usually a concentrator and conveyor of flavor. So whenever fat is reduced or cut back in a recipe, the spices need to be ramped up to compensate.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was okay to good. Uncle Meat & Potatoes liked it a lot and had a few bowls, but he really liked the Spaghetti Sauce Bolognese better. This is the downside of crocking 2-3 items on the same day while family lingers about. I think the spices needed to be ramped up just a tiny bit more to compensate for the serious low fat nature of this dish. Still, goodish. It doesn't have as much flavor as the meat counterpart, so spicing will have to be addressed in any future appearances.

Recipe

I used a 5 1/2 quart crock for this

Ingredients

1 Tbls olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 12 oz packages Morningstar Grillers Crumbles
2-3 stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)
2 small cans diced green chilis and juice
3 tomatoes, diced large
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can pinto beans & liquid
28 oz can red kidney beans & liquid
28 oz can tomato sauce
3 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (or more)
3 Tbl chili powder
2 cups water (optional and varies)

Heat olive oil in a no stick skillet over medium high heat. Saute onion until translucent and then add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. (This step can be omitted and the onions and garlic simply added to the crock but the flavor will not have as much depth - it's still good, I used to do it that way when I was rushed for time) Add to the crock with all other ingredients. Cover & cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. This overflows a 5 1/2 quart crock pot as it cooks, so use less water to compensate if that is the size you are using. It seems to work perfectly in a 6 quart crock pot.

Spaghetti Sauce Bolognese

2010-01-03T22:03:00.000-08:00

Bolognese sauce is "meat sauce". Yes, a Bolognese sauce is a non sequitor on a vegetarian cooking blog. This version has no meat at all, but no one would know it. This is a vegetarian and crock adaptation of my favorite Bolognese sauce from my prior omnivorous life. The original was a weekly staple in my kitchen for over 20 years. This version is even lower fat than the original, loaded with protein, and easy on the waistline. The recipe as listed is the perfect amount for a pound of dry pasta. The recipe doubles well for larger groups.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This was a true winner. Uncle Meat & Potatoes didn't seem to notice that it wasn't really meat in the sauce. He declared it delicious and had two helpings. Auntie EQ and I also had some. Four teenagers, who usually have no interest in the adult fare served at the house wandered out of their lair and gobbled the rest of it.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2-3 quart crock for this

Ingredients

1 Tbls olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled, diced
3 cloves garlic,minced
12 oz package Morningstar Grillers Crumbles, defrosted
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
4 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
3 tsp sugar or equivalent Splenda (I used Splenda)
2 "Not-Beef" Natural Bouillon Cubes
salt to taste
1/2 tsp pepper
(optional) 1/4 cup dry red wine

Heat oil over medium high heat in medium skillet. Saute onions until translucent, add garlic and saute for another two minutes. Add to crock. (This step could be omitted and the ingredients placed directly in the crock but the depth of flavor would not be the same). Add all other ingredients except wine. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high for 3-4. Stir in wine (if using) and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes. Serve over pasta with optional sprinklings of Parmesan or other aged Italian cheese.

Hot Buttered Rum

2010-01-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

Perfect for a cold winter party, there is nothing more wonderful and comforting than hot buttered rum. It was cold and foggy today. It felt too damp and miserable to venture out. It was already 3 PM and there was nothing in the crock, yet. There were no plans for a party. So with the only available ingredients on hand it became clear there needed to be a party - but to celebrate what?. Auntie EQ and Uncle Meat & Potatoes had spent the day at the movies, then cleaning up the remainder of Christmas holiday decorations and New Years Eve confetti, now damp in the street. Their tasks were finished by 5:30 PM. Sounded like a good enough reason to have a party to me. This took about 2 minutes to toss in the crock, which was perfect for the amount of time I felt like investing in cooking today.

Winner, Loser or Meh

I don't like alcohol. Little amounts make me sick the next day - like a glass. This tastes so good, I don't think I care. I heart this more than hot chocolate. This is the perfect thing to toss in the crock hours before a big party. Guests could easily serve themselves from the crock throughout the night.

Recipe:

I used a 2 1/2 -3 quart crock for this. This recipe can easily be doubled for a party and made in a larger crock.

Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
4 Tbls butter
pinch salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 whole cloves
1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 quart filtered hot water
1 cup dark rum

Topping

whipped cream
fresh ground nutmeg

Place first seven ingredients in the crock. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2 1/2 -3 hours. Reduce heat to warm and add rum. Serve from the crock into mugs and top with whipped cream and fresh ground nutmeg.

Chili - Buddy's Diner Style

2010-01-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

There was a wonderful diner, now closed, in my town that served the most divine hot sweet chili. This chili inspired two similar versions in my prior omnivorous life, including an all beef version. The enormous New Years Day challenge is to recreate this recipe using no meat. This is the first attempt. I halved the proportions of my usual recipe expecting it to be a flop. The ultimate test would be whether or not Uncle Meat & Potatoes would eat it with reckless abandon. Uncle Meat & Potatoes had never tasted the original. We had all been lounging about like slugs gorging on party leftovers from the night before - another reason I expected people not to be very hungry and interested in this - unless it was delicious.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

I thought it was not going to taste as great as the original. Uncle Meat & Potatoes asked for a bowl at around 7 PM. He loved it instantly and is on his 5th bowl. Auntie EQ had a bite of his. She is quite petite and got up and ladled a bowl for herself, too.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 - 3 quart crock for this. This recipe can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

1 Tbls olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled, diced
12 oz package Morninstar Grillers Crumbles
1 tsp Vegetable Better Than Boullion
1 cup hot water
1 Tbls soy sauce
14 1/2 oz can diced peeled tomatoes
15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed, drained
1/3 6oz can tomato paste
1/2 Tbls chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
3 tsp sugar or Splenda equivalent (I used Splenda)

Toppings:

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
Diced red onions (optional)

Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Saute onions until soft. Add to crock with all other ingredients except the optional toppings. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Serve warm with optional sprinkled cheese and onions. Makes 4 generous servings.

Cranberry Swiss Dip

2009-12-31T14:15:00.000-08:00

This was the second dip served in the Rival Double Crockpot as part of Auntie EQ and Uncle Meat & Potatoes annual New Years Eve party. The other half of the double had Chili Cheese Dip. Uncle Meat & Potatoes, a regular reader of the blog, read about the Spinach Artichoke Dip made for another party with friends while I was out of town over Christmas. He requested it and I had to turn him down. This is the practical downside of trying to produce a new slow cooked item every day for a year. I felt very guilty and hoped one of the two dips would redeem the situation.

Uncle Meat & Potatoes, ever the consummate educator, had party attendees view a documentary on the making and distilling of various scotch and whiskey products throughout the world. He set up a product specific spirits bar. He paused the DVD after each featured brand, and all guests sampled shot glasses filled with whatever brand of liquor had been featured in the segment. He even had the national flags of each liquor distillery location taped on the mantel. It was something to behold on many levels.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

During the second segment of the liquor documentary, before anyone was thoroughly plastered, Uncle Meat & Potatoes rushed over to my chair with dip cheese dripping from a cracker and his lower lip. He breathlessly whispered in my ear "this is the best thing I have ever eaten". I went to the bar for a taste of the dip and it was almost all gone. I think this is a winner.

Interestingly, the dip is not really sweet. The Jarlsberg cuts sweetness. The tangerine and cranberries were really set off by the nutty flavor of the cheese. Both dips were assembled in under 5 minutes on the bar before I rushed off for other errands. The guests had already arrived before I could get back and Auntie EQ shot a quick photo while I was gone and before the dip had its final stir.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 -3 quart crock for this. A 1 1/2-2 quart crock would work as well.

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
2/3-3/4 cups Jarlsberg cheese, grated (Swiss works, too)
2 Tbls orange juice
zest of 1/2 a tangerine (orange or cutie would work, too)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tsps sugar

Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of the crock. Spread the grated Jarlsberg evenly over the top. Sprinkle with orange juice and zest. Sprinkle the cranberries on top and dust the cranberries with the sugar. Cover and cook on high for about an hour, until the cheese is melted. Stir and serve straight from the crock on the warm setting. We served them with wheat thins.

Chili Cheese Dip

2009-12-30T13:52:00.000-08:00

The Rival Crockpot Double was dusted off to serve as a double dipping station at Auntie EQ and Uncle Meat and Potatoes annual New Years Eve party. The other half of the double had Cranberry Swiss Dip. Auntie EQ and other attendees provided a full service soup bar, bacon dips, artichoke dips, and desserts palooza - basically a pig festival extraordinaire. Mrs. Treebeard brought a black bean soup and this dip was the perfect accompaniment to those flavors. Both dips were assembled in under 5 minutes on Auntie EQ's bar before I dashed off to a many months overdue hair appointment. By the time I returned all the guest had already arrived and Auntie EQ had taken a quick photo of the crock before the dips were gobbled up. Good thing she did, because this was gone in under 30 minutes.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This was very easy and very good.

Recipe:

I used a 3 quart crock for this, but it would work in a 1 -2 quart one as well.

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
15 oz can chili (I used Nalley's Vegetarian)
1 cup salsa (any kind)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (or any combination Mexican cheeses)

Spread cream cheese on bottom of crock evenly. Pour can of chili on top evenly. Pour salsa on top of chili evenly. Sprinkle cheese on top evenly. Cover and cook on high for about an hour until the cheese is melty on top. Reduce heat to warm and serve straight from the crock with tortilla chips.

Lasagna I

2009-12-29T00:09:00.000-08:00

A frenzy of holiday "no sew" fleece blanket making (see background) resulted in little attention paid to the documentation of the Vegetarian Slow Cooking lifestyle. Rest assured, while the blankets were not being sewed, the crocks were still cooking. The writing was put on hold and these entries will be back-dated until things are all caught up. I promised a crock lasagna to a reader in a recent comment. This was the first experiment. Ease of preparation was a primary requirement. No cook lasagna noodles a must. This was made during the holiday stay at Cousin Cake Queen's house. It took 12 minutes from start to finish. The onions and garlic were sauteed in olive oil, but if one is more hurried the taste should not suffer too much by omitting the step. It was assembled during Cousin Cake Queen's lunch hour and ready at the end of the work day. Once could assemble this the night before, and place it in the crock cooking base plugged into a lamp timer in the morning for a delayed afternoon start and a poerfect end of workday finish.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This was absolutely delicious. When first served, it was so melty cheesy wonderful Cousin Cake Queen and I both squealed. We could hardly wait for the next day when we knew it would taste even better. (All soups and casseroles taste better the second day.) The picture was taken after it had a few hours to cool off and firm up.

Recipe

I used a 5 1/2-6 quart oval crock for this.

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion, peeled, diced fine
2 Tbls olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
12 oz package frozen Morningstar Grillers Crumbles (frozen vegetarian meat substitute)
1lb 10 oz jar marinara sauce (I used Ragu)
water to rinse marinara jar (about 1/3 cup)
15 oz tub ricotta cheese
1 egg
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, water squeezed out
1 lb package shredded Mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Italian hard cheese blend (like Parmesan, Asiago, Romano - whatever is on sale, I bought one small tub and used the whole tub for this and the topping ingredient which follows later)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
generous twists of fresh ground pepper
1/2 of 9 oz package no cook lasagna noodles

Topping

1/2 cup grated Italian hard cheese blend (see above)

Spray crock with no stick spray. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Saute onions until soft, then add minced garlic for a minute or two. Turn off heat. Add jar of marinara sauce to skillet. Add water to the empty jar to shake the sauce from edges of jar and add this mixture to the skillet. Add package of frozen crumbles and stir. In a bowl add all other ingredients except the lasagna noodles and topping. Mix well. Ladle 1/4 of the sauce onto the bottom of the crock. Break 2 no cook lasagna noodle sheets to form a layer covering the sauce in the crock, then layer evenly with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, followed by 1/3 of remaining sauce. Repeat the noodle, cheese, sauce layers two times, ending with the sauce. Top with the remaining grated hard cheese blend. Cook on low for 4 hours.

Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

2009-12-28T21:47:00.000-08:00

In the never ending search for a better crock brownie recipe, one was found which ended up not even remotely resembling a brownie. Lucky for us, it did turn out to be a perfect crock Chocolate Molten Lava Cake. This was assembled in about 5 minutes and smelled delicious while cooking away. The first layer of batter was very thick. I was sure this would bomb when I poured the watery chocolate second layer on top. It was baffling to believe that the watery chocolate layer would end up on the bottom and turn into a hot chocolate syrup.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was very yummy. We were already stuffed and Auntie EQ & I couldn't resist having a nice warm yummy serving. Very easy to make. I did not take an artistic final shot, but instead chose to take a picture of how the layers look in the crock. It tastes much much better than this looks.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2-3 quart round for this

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (2 oz)
2/3 cup & 1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp & 1/3 cup cocoa
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1 egg yolk
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water

Spray crock with no stick spray. Melt butter and chocolate chips in quart or larger Pyrex in microwave for about 2-3 minutes. Whisk in 2/3 cup sugar, 3Tbsp cocoa, vanilla, salt, milk, and egg yolk. Stir in flour and baking powder. Pour into crockpot and spread evenly. In medium Pyrex whisk together remaining sugar, cocoa, brown sugar and hot water until sugar is dissolved. Pour over batter in crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/4 hours. It will start to pull away from the sides. Turn off, uncover and let cool for 20-30 minutes before serving. This is great with vanilla ice cream.

Brownies

2009-12-27T01:08:00.000-08:00

What's not to love about brownies? The mission: See if we can love them if they come out of a crock pot. I Googled about looking for a tried and true crock pot brownie recipe. There was one which seemed to hit all the right notes. This is an adaptation of Audrey's Easy Crock Pot Brownies.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

The original cooking time called for 1 1/2 hours. It was not enough to cook the batter all the way through. Perhaps this was due to high altitude cooking, but I doubt it. I have adjusted the cooking time in the recipe below to account for the under-cooking in this batch. These had a decadent, rich, dark chocolaty texture. They were fudgey. They firmed up after they cooled off, but were still a bit too wet. We served them with peppermint ice cream which was the perfect combination.

Recipe

I used a 5 1/2 - 6 quart crock pot for this

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup water
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup cocoa
1 package brownie mix

Spray crock with no stick spray. In a large Pyrex measuring cup microwave butter, oil, sugar, water and cocoa in until warm (about 1-2 minutes) and and stir until the cocoa is well mixed. This can also be done in a small sauce pan over on the stove. In a mixing bowl add the eggs, walnuts and brownie mix, stir. Pour in the cocoa mixture and stir until smooth. Pour batter into the crock. Cook on high for 1 3/4 hours - 2 hours. Turn off heat, remove lid, and let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

Italian Lentil Stoup

2009-12-26T01:56:00.000-08:00

This Vegetarian Slow Cooker was to visit dear old friends and their family for dinner tonight in the icy high dessert surrounded by glorious snow capped mountains. Not wanting to venture to the store in the cold morning, I raided Cousin Cake Queen's pantry and fridge in search of whatever hodge podge of ingredients might pass for a warm and hearty stoupy accompaniment to the evening. This was the result. It was started at 10 AM, and other items tossed in around 1 PM. It was loaded into the car around 5 PM and continued simmering as old friends chatted away. There was about a bowl left for the ride home

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was good and very very good on the second day. Very filling, hearty, and easy. Mr Treebeard's father enjoyed it especially.

Recipe

I used a 5 1/2 - 6 quart oval for this

Ingredients:

1 lb package dried brown lentils, rinsed, drained
8 cups vegetable stock (or water and vegetable "Better than Bouillon" to make 8 cups)
3 Tbls butter (vegans can use extra olive oil)
1 Tbls olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled, diced fine
3 large cloves garlic, mined
2 carrots, trimmed, scrubbed, diced fine
2 celery stalks, trimmed, scrubbed, diced fine
3 Tbls chopped basil
1 3/4 Tbls dark molasses (or dark brown sugar)
2 1/2 Tbls lemon juice
2 1/2 Tbls dry Sherry
salt & pepper to taste

Toppings for serving:

chopped scallions
Balsamic vinegar

Place lentils in the crock. Add stock. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. In a skillet over medium high heat, saute onions, celery, and carrots in butter and olive oil until soft and starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook another couple of minutes. Add all of this to the crock. Cover and continue cooking on low for another 3-4 hours. Stir in lemon juice, sherry, molasses, salt & pepper and cook on low for another 30 minutes. Serve warm topped with scallions and a drizzle of vinegar.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2009-12-25T01:26:00.000-08:00

This holiday season snow and ice are on the ground in the Owens Valley, a high desert paradise nestled between the High Sierras and the White Mountains with breathtaking views. This Vegetarian Slow Cooker was invited to spend the evening with old childhood friends, their parents, and a large assortment of extended family. About 1/2 of the 11 attendees were vegetarians, the other half were not. An easy hot appetizer was in order to take the chill off the cold night. This was assembled at Cousin Cake Queen's house, cooked in the crock, and loaded in the car for the 10 mile ride up the hill towards ski country. I had already sliced up a fresh sourdough baguette to bring along. The crock was plugged in at the final destination and everyone dipped their bread straight into the warm crock.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was outstanding. People could not get enough of it and kept coming back for more. It was so good, it was almost the main course. I will make this again and again and again. Easy and delicious. This was so good I wanted to have a romantic relationship with it. It's all a daze now, but I might have.

Recipe

I used a single setting 1 1/2 quart crock for this

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained, chopped coarse
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed of all liquid
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, cored, diced
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Serve on:

sourdough crostini or sourdough baguette slices from a full baguette

Spray crock with no stick spray. Place first 5 ingredients into the crock and mix well. Top with mozzarella cheese. Cook on low or high until warm and the top cheese is melted - about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm, right out of the plugged in crock.

Roasted Summer Vegetables

2009-12-24T02:39:00.000-08:00

Served hot or cold, roasted summer vegetables are a light, healthy and fabulous delight. Cousin Cake Queen was craving healthy vegetables after the double whammy of recovering from a cold, a few days of my bad food grazing influence, and Farmville marathons. This was the perfect prescription for what ailed her.

Winner, Loser or Meh

These were delicious. First served warm, then served cold from the fridge the next day for lunch.

Recipe

I used a 5 1/2 - 6 quart crock for this

Ingredients:

2 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded, cut into large strips
2 red onions, peeled, cut into 1/8ths
3 yellow squash, trimmed, cut into long strips
3 zucchini, trimmed cut into long strips6 ounces green beans, ends snapped
5 whole peeled cloves of garlic, flattened with flat blade of knife
2 Tbls olive oil
1 Tbls fresh chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbls balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Toss to coat evenly. Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Serve warm or cold.

Cream of Artichoke Soup

2009-12-23T02:55:00.000-08:00

This Vegetarian Slow Cooker had no energy and felt like a slug. There had been a days long frenzy of holiday travel, Farmville all-nighters, and a vast array of junk laden sugary treats as a chaser. Lucky for me, Cousin Cake Queen is my holiday hostess. Inspired by a recipe in Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook and not wanting this blog to fall by the wayside, she agreed to shop for and completely make a recipe for the blog. I lounged on her couch, moaning and groaning, while harvesting virtual crops, golden mystery eggs, heinous farm floats, and lighted gift boxes while she slaved away in the kitchen. This soup was the result of her valiant labors.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This was delicious. It had a soft mellow flavor, and then the full sweet taste of artichokes would linger at the back and sides of the tongue after each bite. Here's to you Cousin Cake Queen!

Recipe

Cousin Cake Queen used a 5 1/2-6 quart crock for this.

Ingredients:

6 Tbls salted butter, cut into chunks
1 white onion, peeled, chopped
3 leeks, (white part and 1 inch green), washed, sliced, thin
3 10 oz packages frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
6 cups vegetable stock (or water and vegetable "Better than Boullion" to make 6 cups)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup whipping cream

Place first 3 ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high for 30 minutes. Add stock and artichoke hearts and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Puree in crock with immersion blender. Add salt and pepper and cream. Stir, cover and cook until heated through, but not boiling, about 15 minutes.

Cranberry Pineapple Vodka Punch (Tropical Vodka Wassail)

2009-12-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

This Vegetarian Slow Cooker attended a wonderful holiday party last week that ended with the entire group of attendees joyfully singing Christmas carols. A couple of us were being downright silly. The silliness was inspired by a lyric in one of the carols about "wassailing". We were informed by the older set that "wassail" was a traditional mulled hot beverage served during the holidays. The silly amongst us were convinced it had to be alcoholic given the joy being expressed in the lyric. Later research revealed that traditional wassail usually does not involve spirits of any kind. I decided not to be a traditionalist on two fronts.

A large contingent of my family lives in Hawaii, including my son who attends the University of Hawaii. I graduated from High School there and over the last few years, that is where I have spent my holidays. This year I would be absent. So as a nod to the islands, this is a tropical variation using different juices than those used in traditional wassails and taking advantage of the large bottle of Vodka in Auntie EQ's liquor cabinet.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was good, but not nearly as good as the Hot Buttered Rum. Uncle Meat & Potatoes thought it was too sweet. Auntie EQ & I did not. We had two large mugs full.

Recipe:

I used a 2 1/2- 3 quart crock for this.

Ingredients:

4 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
4 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick

1-2 cups vodka

Add all ingredients except vodka into the crock. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours. Turn heat to warm. Remove cinnamon and cloves with slotted spoon. Add vodka and serve warm ladled into mugs.

Orange Spice Air Freshener Potpourri

2009-12-21T19:00:00.000-08:00

Time for another impromptu crock air freshener made in the 1 quart mini crock during Operation No Sew Blanket. The week of holiday parties made home cooking unnecessary and the Farmville addiction and blanket making made it impossible. There were an abundance of oranges on the backyard tree, more ground cinnamon than a person could ever hope to use in a Costco industrial container, and plenty of whole cloves from the Winco bulk bins still in the pantry. The crock air fresheners are wonderful. They are natural, cheap, and not overpowering like commercial plug in air fresheners. This one was especially lovely. It simmered all day, while home and away, and all night while sleeping.

The blanket under "no sew" construction this evening was made for my defacto niece, Cousin Cake Queen's daughter, who I will affectionately refer to as "Star Muse". She beats to her own drum in a very cool unconventional way. She is a breath of fresh air with a lovely singing voice. She loves pink. How much does she heart pink? All four bedroom walls and the trim are painted in varying shades of Caramelized Pepto Bismo Pink. This probably was not the name on the paint chip, but no doubt you get the idea. The fabric had to reflect her natural lovely spirit and honor the pink.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

I really liked this one. I have heard that adding a drop or two of oil or extract helps bind the scents more, but I really like that the scent was so light and unobtrusive.

Recipe

I used a 1 quart mini for this, anything smaller or larger would work just as well.

Ingredients:

2 tsp cinnamon
1 orange peel (I also had part of a dying half orange and tossed it in)
3 whole cloves
1-2 cups warm water

Cover with lid slightly ajar and turn on high. Add water as necessary. I didn't need to add any.

Lemon Vanilla Spice Air Freshener

2009-12-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

(To be backdated to appropriate holiday date) Another allergy free cheap, light, air freshener using the crock. Prior posted versions, Apple Spice & Orange Spice also featured a No Sew Blanket made while the crock simmered. Today's No Sew Blanket was for Cousin Cake Queen with whom this Vegetarian Slow Cooker shares a Farmville addiction. Cake Queen served as my Farmville pusher over Thanksgiving. The blanket's assorted vintage cherry seed packets seemed a perfect fit. Not only does she harvest virtual cherry trees, she makes killer cherry jam using cherries from her father's tree.

Prior to being overtaken by this crack like game, Cousin Cake Queen made amazing whimsical cakes. The most spectacular of which was a complete three dimensional cake statue of Harry Potter, head to toe. Photos of it did not survive. Here is some of her other work.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This air freshener was light and barely perceptible. It really did lighten the air. It looked like this.

Recipe:

I used a 2 1/2 quart crock for this, but a smaller cor larger crock will work just fine as well. Just adjust the water.

Ingredients

2 sliced lemons
1 Tbls pure vanilla extract
2 Tbls white vinegar
2 -3 tsp cinnamon
3 whole cloves (or 1 Tbls allspice)
2 quarts water

Add all ingredients to crock and simmer on low with the lid slightly ajar. This can go for a couple of days at least.

Apple Pie Air Freshener Potpourri

2009-12-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

Another crock concoction made during Operation Holiday No Sew Blankets. Not only are there amateur craft distractions, a Farmville addiction, and a full time job during the pre-holiday season, there is an assortment of holiday parties throughout the week that must be attended. These parties are always full scale smorgasbords, so no point in any home cooked meals this week. Never fear. There is a giant Costco industrialized quart of ground cinnamon and a bunch of leftover softening apples in the pantry. Why shouldn't my house smell as warm and inviting as those having full scale holiday parties? This was tossed in a very small crock in the morning and plugged into a socket in a centrally located bathroom, the lid left slightly ajar.

While it simmered away and as time permitted, I tied off this "no sew" blanket for my grandmother, Yan. (See Yan Canning, Yan Garlic Cure). Yan is a true patriot and a loving homemaker - every bit as American as apple pie, so it was fitting that the aroma of apple pie would be wafting about as her blanket was finished. My grandfather, her husband of 70 years, passed away last spring. He was a renowned Western artist, a mule packer, a lover of animals, children, and humor. He was her best friend. Yan is now blind and spends most of her time, at home, in her bedroom. While there, she claims attention from those of us who love her is not much needed. She insists she has a steady stream of cowboys who come by her bedroom to see her and they have a "rip roaring good time, thank you very much." Yan is ever the lady, so I am quite sure they all take their hats off before climbing into bed.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Within 20 minutes the house started to smell like baking apple pie. It simmered away all day, and more water was added at bed and it simmered away all night, too. Very nice, homey and inexpensive. Other potpourri's to be featured later.

Recipe

I used a single setting 1 quart crock. A 'Lil Dipper would work perfectly, too. Just use less water. If all you have is a large crock, it will work. You might try putting the ingredients into a smaller heat safe container and placing it within the larger crock.

Ingredients:

2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 apple, unpeeled, uncored, cut into chunks
1-2 cups water preferably hot (it just works faster that way)

Toss in crock, set lid ajar. Turn on heat. Add water as necessary.

Hot Chocolate

2009-12-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

This was made during the unplanned frenzy of "no sew" fleece blanket making. A note on "no sew" blankets: Blanket Madness was inspired by a group of longtime fellow internet bulletin board chums who roped me in with repeated thread titles like: Help! I can't stop making these blankets. This sort of posting was followed by picture after picture of said blankets. I was late to join the frenzy. The charm of these blankets involves needing no skills or talent whatsoever to make them and the materials being very cheap. That many considered these blankets tacky (like the other half of the bulletin board members who commented with mixtures of disgust and amusement) was in no way a deterrent. (No Sew Blanket Instructions)

The particular blanket made this night was for Uncle Meat & Potatoes, who happens to be an amateur pilot, space and aeronautics enthusiast, and has a history of intense relationships with his blankies. There is a rotting rag of a koala blanket, well over 35 years old, that gets dragged out on a regular basis. Perhaps this airplane blanket will turn out to be this half century's replacement. If not, at least it matches the color scheme of Auntie EQ's family room where weekly family Gray's Anatomy bonding routinely occurs.

But I digress . . . back to the hot chocolate. It was made with a leftover $.88 cent can of off-brand sweetened condensed milk, one that didn't fit in the crock when this Vegetarian Slow cooker wasn't making delicious Dulce de Luce (caramel sauce). This could have been made on the stove top or in the microwave, but then how would it have been possible for anyone (me) to go back 3 or 4 times and instantly have hot chocolate while slaving away during blanket making? Please try and keep a straight face.

This is a great way to make and serve hot chocolate for a party, even if, as in my case, it is a party of one. After it has cooked properly, simply reduce the heat to warm and guests can ladle up their own throughout the evening. Try leaving mini marshmallows, whipped cream, and peppermint liquor next to the crock so people can make their own perfect version of cocoa.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Worked for me. Easy, cheap, delicious. Snobs go away.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2-3 quart crock for this

Ingredients:

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
6 1/2 cups water
mini marshmallows (optional)

Add all ingredients in the order listed. Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2-3 hours or low for 5-6 hours. Serve warm topped with marshmallows. This will store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

White Basmati Rice

2009-12-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

Back for more adventures in rice. To know more than you ever wanted to know about Rice Theory as it Relates to Slow Cooking please see this chart, especially the bottom of the chart with links to all prior rice adventures and their results. (Or. . .Let me give you a sneak peak. It's all bad. Go buy a rice cooker.) The original chart was my summary of one found in a published slow cooker cookbook. The author claimed rice in the crock works. Come to think of it there was no direct claim that it would work, but a chart in a published cookbook, at the very least, strongly suggests it should work or, better yet, that someone actually tried it before.

Today we try White Basmati Rice. Brown Basmati Rice previously scored the highest, coming in with a solid "meh". White Pearl Rice bombed, as did Brown Pearl Rice, leaving me with the conclusion that brownness or whiteness of the grain appears to have little relationship to the results. Perhaps Basmati rice, in any unconverted form, is the key to a marginally edible crock rice.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

The top half of the rice crock, fantastic - perfect, separates nicely. This was actually consumed with some old Satay. The bottom half, like concentrated wallpaper paste. Photographic evidence below:

On the upside, this is the first batch of rice in 3 attempts that was not dumped into the composter.

Bottom line, if you have no stove and are too poor to purchase a rice cooker, you'll get even poorer as you repeatedly toss crock rice.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 quart crock for this.

Ingredients:

1 cup white Basmati Rice
1 3/4 cups water
1Tbsbutter or oil(I used oil)

Spray crock with no stick spray. Add all ingredients. Cook on high for 1 1/2 hours (mine took a bit over 2)

Brown Pearl Rice

2009-12-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

More adventures in crock rice making and myth busting. This Vegetarian Slow Cooker has been on a mission to confirm or deny published cookbook claims, summarized in chart, that rice in the crock works. As differing types and quantities of rice are tried in various crocks, a link to the results will be posted at the bottom of the chart. So far, Brown Basmati Rice was a firm meh. White Pearl Rice is such a loser, other dishes on the loser list think they are winners by comparison. Today we try Brown Pearl Rice. Perhaps the quasi-success of Brown Basmatti Rice was based on the coating from the unprocessed grain. In that spirit, we venture forward.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

No, the photo above is not out of focus. That's really how this stuff looked. Good lord this was bad. I suspect if 3rd world relief organizations air dropped this crock cooked rice on a starving nation, those starving would pass and pray for a different plane. Awful mush on the bottom and uncooked chewy hardness on top.

Recipe

I used a 1 quart crock for this. Please don't ever use any crock for this.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown pearl rice
2 cups water
1 Tbls butter or oil (these have been so bad, I have started using cheap oil)

Add ingredients to the crock and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours. (this actually took 3, but it was inedible at any stage)

White Pearl Rice (Sticky Rice)

2009-12-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

Because this next week involves parties with gluttonous holiday buffets, this Vegetarian Slow Cooker will use the time to document crock rice experiments. The crock rice chart, devised by a noted cookbook author, was used as the basis for the experiments. Only here will you find the truth about crock rice. The good, the bad, and the ugly, complete with photographic evidence.

The first attempt at crock rice involved Brown Basmatti Rice, which turned out okayish, but not good enough to serve to company. Today is the first attempt at a white rice. A white pearl rice was chosen, the kind usually used in sushi making. This type is supposed to stick and clump together.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

The truth: Bad and ugly. Here is photographic evidence. There have been internet horror stories about crock rice making. Themes of mushy on the outside, hard and gritty on the inside. These stories are true. This photo shows the bottom layer of the crock as inedible rice mush. It also shows some of the top layer of the crock as inedible tough grains that will make your dentist rich if you chose to bite.

This was the result after 2 1/2 hours, instead of the 1 1/2 hour listed in the chart. At the 1 1/2 hour mark there had been no water absorption and the grains were tough and/or rocky. Bottom line: Do not believe ANY person on cyberspace (there are a few)or published authors who tell you crock white rice will work in the crock. Back tomorrow with another brown rice and a different crock to further test results.

Recipe

I used a 1 quart crock for this.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
1 3/4 cups water or stock
1 Tbls butter or oil

Put in crock. Cook on high for 1 1/2 hours. (according to chart). Cook longer if necessary. Then chuck it all in the composter.

Pillsbury Bread

2009-12-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

Casual dinner with friends was last night. They made a seafood stew. This Vegetarian Slow Cooker arrived with the Rival Double Crock filled with two experimental items. The first, a crock filled with bread from the Pillsbury Dough case. The second a Black Forrest Dump Cake for dessert.

The bread could not have been simpler to prepare. Open can of dough, shape into a semi circle, and place in the crock to cook. The dessert was much more complicated. It took 2 minutes to assemble in the other half of the Rival double crock.

Winner, Loser or, Meh

This was pretty darn good, but not crusty on top. I didn't expect it to get crusty on top, but it sure tasted good anyway and it was all gone within a few minutes. The bottom got a bit over browned, which tends to happen sometimes with black crockery.

Photos were taken with friend's camera of the bread semi ring. They were not immediately uploaded to the computer and were accidentally wiped from the camera by the next day, so there is no picture of the finished product. I will make this again and add a photo the next time.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 quart crock pot for this.

Ingredient:

1 tube Pillsbury Crusty French Bread Dough

Preheat crock to high. Open tube of dough and bend into semi circle to fit crock. Score top of dough with a few slits. Place a dishtowel or paper towels over the top rim of the crock. Cover. Pull edges of the towel in to the center. The towel will serve as a moisture wick for better product texture.Cook on high for 2 - 2 1/2 hours. If you will be gone during the day, you can put the dough in a cool crock pot and use a lamp timer to turn on while you are away.

Black Forrest Dump Cake

2009-12-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

Casual dinner with friends scheduled for tonight. They are making a seafood stew. Another perfect opportunity to dust off the Rival double crock and bring a dessert and some bread. Plan A was to make two complex awe inspiring recipes. The recent addiction to Farmville has undermined the best laid plans of mice and women today. Never fear. Plan B an awe inspiring simple bread and dessert.

The preparation of both the bread and the dessert, combined, took less than 3 minutes. Chocolate had yet to be tried in a dump cake. The can of Comstock "Lite" Cherry Pie Filling and halving the recipe allowed me to claim "waistline consciousness" with a semi-straight face while my friends snickered and rolled their eyes at the ridiculous assertion that 4 tablespoons of butter and half a cake mix is "light" in any way shape or form.

Winner, Loser or, Meh

This was good, but overly sweet. Of all the dump cakes (Pineapple Cherry Upside Down, Pumpkin, Apple Spice) this was my least favorite, although it was still good. Not jumping up and down for joy is a big statement coming from this major chocolate addict.

Photos were taken with friend's camera of the dump cake and bread. They were not immediately uploaded to the computer and were accidentally wiped from the camera by the next day, so this is borrowed photography of how the dump cake looked, except we served ours with ice cream.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 quart crock pot for this and halved the recipe

Ingredients:

1 box chocolate or devil's food cake mix (I used 1/2 a box)
2 cans cherry pie filling (I used 1 can Comstock Lite)
8 Tbls butter, cut into pieces (I used 1/2 stick) (vegans can use margarine)

Spray crock with no stick spray. Dump cherries in to crock. Dump cake mix on top of cherries and spread evenly. Top with butter chunks, evenly. Place a dishtowel or paper towels over the top rim of the crock. Cover. Pull edges of the towel in to the center. The towel will serve as a moisture wick for better product texture. Cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Serve.

Pineapple Mango Chutney

2009-12-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

The list of who's naughty and nice has been checked twice. It's the home stretch of jam, fruit butter, and chutney preparation for holiday gift giving. I saved one of the purported best for last with visions of appreciative family members in Hawaii tickled to use a tropical inspired home canned chutney with their holiday meals.

This recipe was time consuming. There was lots of cutting and dicing, and it had to cook longer than specified to form any sort of semi workable consistency. These things matter not provided the taste is sensational, especially when gifts for loved ones are the goal.

Winner, Loser or Meh

So.Bad.I.Want.To.Scream. Too awful for even the naughty on your holiday list. There were promises that this recipe had a "euphoric" taste and aroma. Neither was true. Not only did it taste and smell atrocious, (sickeningly over powering cinnamon taste and burn-like aroma), it looked repulsive. A housemate stumbled out from a bedroom after a string of not nice words came from my mouth when I first tasted it. Housemate attempted reassuring encouragement that it couldn't be as terrible as I thought. Housemate then had a taste, blanched, looked at the finished product, grimaced and declared it "awful". I am renaming this "Pineapple Mango UpChuckny".

I am truly upset that so much money was wasted on ingredients and terribly sad that two pineapples lost their lives for this.

Recipe

I stupidly doubled the below recipe on faith. I used a 6 quart crock pot.

Ingredients

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, eyes cut out, cut into one inch chunks
1 mango, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 white onion, peeled, diced
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 inch chunk ginger, peeled, grated
zest and juice of a lime
1-2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, minced
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 4 inch stick cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours until starting to reach a jam-like consistency (which never happens). Remove cover and cook for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until it cooks down and thickens. Cool.

Then toss in trash, or if environmentally conscious, the composter (Beware: It might kill compost worms).

Asparagus Casserole

2009-12-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

There were the loveliest bunches of fresh asparagus at Winco. It was time to try something new, something not a soup that would fit into half of the Rival Double Crocks. This easy casserole fit the bill. Spiced Cider II was simmering away, and there were plans to visit Uncle Meat & Potatoes and Auntie "EQ" for a new episode of House, which turned out to be not on at all, but no one cared. It was a good thing. A Farmville plantation was being outfitted with a hill and waterfall and a fresh episode of House deserves and demands no less than one's full undivided attention.

A note on Slow Cooking & Farmville addiction (or any other addiction). For the recently addicted, of which I am, no means of meal preparation is better suited to hide said addiction from family while appearing functional and caring than crock potting. If the Farmville addiction (or any other addiction) becomes so bad that one can't simply toss a few items into the crock, it's time to seek help. This took about 8 minutes to assemble and that included making and peeling the soft boiled eggs.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was good to okay when first served. Better an hour later. It firmed up. It was reminiscent of asparagus with a poor man's hollandaise, which is a complete non sequiter because hollandaise is cheap to make. I wanted a hit of lemon, and in the future, I would add some before cooking. It can be served as a side or a main dish. Every bit of it was gone and others were having bowls of clam chowder.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 quart crock pot for this. For a larger crock pot, you can double the recipe OR place the original recipe in a smaller over safe dish and place it directly into the larger crock pot.

Ingredients

1 large bunch fresh thin asparagus, wooded ends snapped, (or two can asparagus, drained)
2 soft or hard boiled eggs ( I used soft and made them up while getting everything else together)
1 can cream of celery soup or cream of asparagus soup (I used cream of celery)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bread or cracker crumbs (I used bread crumbs)
2 Tbls butter cut into chunks

Spray crock with no stick spray. Layer asparagus evenly over the bottom of the crock. If your crock is smaller, break the spears in half. Slice and crumble the eggs evenly over the asparagus. Mix cheese and soup together and pour over the asparagus evenly. Top with bread crumbs and dot with butter. Place a kitchen towel or paper towels over top of crock and cover with lid. Pull ends taught and into the center. The towel will serves as a moisture wick while cooking. Cook on low for 7-8 hour or high for 4-5 hours. (I did high). Serve warm.

Spiced Cider II

2009-12-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

Snow fell where it had never fallen before. It was rainy, blustery and icy cold. The perfect storm, the arrival of which presented the perfect opportunity to attempt another spiced cider, one whose perfection was in no way dependent on brandy. (See drunken Spiced Cider I debacle from Halloween.)

This recipe is considerably simpler than the first and has no added sugar. The virtuous healthy sugar free readers are no doubt cheering.

This time, yet again, there shall be no home photography. The problematic perfect clear photography mug has not yet been found. Not to mention, this Vegetarian Slow Cooker was too busy soberly sipping delicious spiced cider to care about venturing out into the frosty cold night to find the perfect mug to for an enticing photo shoot.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This cider was so yummy delicious, I had to take a photo of it. Literally. I lifted this photo of spiced cider from All Recipes, which sort of looks like what I made, even though it isn't their recipe. The recipe is very simple and the house smelled divine.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 quart crock pot for this. If you have a larger crock pot, it will still be "scoopable" if you put a smaller over safe dish inside the larger crock. You can also double the recipe for large gatherings.

Ingredients:

2 - quarts apple cider
zest of large orange
3 4 inch cinnamon sticks
15 twists nutmeg grinder
2 pinches ground cloves

Place all ingredients into the crock. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3. Serve warm with or without brandy.

Cheesy Tortellini

2009-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday night Grey's Anatomy family bonding night. Time to take the new Rival Double crock for a trial run of a dinner and dessert combination. There was no time today to cook or worry about a perfect dinner. This old tried and true recipe was vegetarian modified by using frozen Morningstar Crumbles instead of ground beef. This product can be found in the frozen food section of the grocery store. The full recipe was halved to fit into the smaller sized crocks that come in the Rival Double. The dish was assembled during a quick lunch break in under 3 minutes. It is MANDATORY that the ingredients specified to be frozen go into the crock frozen. It keeps the dish from burning, allows it to cook evenly, and prevents the pasta from falling apart. It also makes the whole thing oh so much easier.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This was really great! Hearty and filling. Everyone really like it and was surprised it was so easy. It's hard to believe this was assembled in less than 3 minutes.

Recipe

I halved the recipe and made it in a 2 1/2 - 3 quart crock. The full recipe fits in a large or medium size crock.

Ingredients:

9 oz bag cheese tortellini, frozen ( I used 1/2 a bag)
12 oz bag Morningstar Starters Griller Meat Crumbles, frozen (I used half a bag)
1 cup bagged onion, frozen (I used 1/2 cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced (I used 2 tsp Christopher's jarred)
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms (I used 1 cup)
3 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, divided (I used 1 1/2 cups)
2 28-32 oz jars Marinara sauce (I used 1 jar Kroger's Mushroom Marinara)

Spray crock with no stick spray. Place all ingredients except for 1/2 the cheese into the crock and stir to mix evenly. Top with remaining cheese. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 3 hours.

Apple Spice Dump Cake

2009-12-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

Last night was the first use of the new Rival Double crocks for Grey's Anatomy family bonding night. One side was filled with this Cheesy Tortellini and the other side with a half recipe of Apple Dump Cake. This is a busy week and today required simple no fuss short cut cooking. Both recipes were started during a lunch break and left to cook while the work day continued. They were both finished at the same time and ready to be loaded in the car by 4:30 PM. The full recipe works in a large or medium crock and the halved version was perfect for a 3 quart crock. This dessert came in at $1.79 thanks to an abundance of $.88 cent cake mixes from last month and apple pie filling still on sale.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Like all previous dump cakes, this was just as yummy and easy! (See Pumpkin Dump Cake & Pineapple Cherry Upside Down Dump Cake.) Auntie EQ wanted it with some Oregon Chai.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 to 3 quart crock (one side of my Rival Double crock) and halved the recipe. The full recipe will work in a medium to large crock.

Ingredients

1 box yellow or spice cake mix (I used half a spice cake mix)
2 cans apple pie filling (I used 1 can)
8 Tbls butter, cut into chunks (I used 4 Tbls)

Spray crock with no stick spray. Dump pie filling in crock. Dump cake mix on top, Dot butter chunks evenly over top. Place a cloth dish towel or several paper towels over the crock rims, cover, and pull the edges taught and into the center. The cloth will serve as a moisture wick for the steam as the cake cooks and results in a better texture. Cook on high for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

Steel Cut Oatmeal (Basic)

2009-12-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

This Vegetarian Slow Cooker has made no secret of her general dislike of hot breakfast cereals. Nevertheless, the steel cut oats were trotted out again to make a basic oatmeal, after the surprising success of Maple Spiced Fruit Steel Cut Oatmeal. Steel Cut Oats are groat grains cut into thirds. Due to their dense grainy nature, they usually require soaking or long simmers on the stove. This makes them perfect easy crock fodder. Toss oats and water into the crock before bed, and wake up to perfect, hot, creamy oatmeal. The proportions for basic Steel Cut Oatmeal in crock are 1 part oats to 4 parts water. This basic recipe serves four. Smaller or larger portions can easily be made in a large crock if that is the only size available. If a large crock pot is all you have, choose an oven safe dish, mix your desired serving amounts in it, and place the smaller dish into the large crock.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

I am stunned. This was so delicious. When I awoke it was creamy and perfect. I scooped up a bowl, tossed a pat of butter on top and sprinkled a generous large spoonful of brown sugar all over it. I had to force myself to stop after the second bowl. This was so delicious, nutty, and hearty. Yum!

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 quart crock for this. If you only have a large crock, you can make this or smaller servings by placing the ingredients into a smaller oven safe dish, and setting it inside the large crock. You can even make an individual bowl with the proper 1 to 4 ratio of oats to water, and wake up to an individual size serving.

Ingredients:

1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water

(Serves 4)

Spray crock with no stick spray. Add water and oats. Cover and cook on low all night. About 8 hours.

Optional toppings that go well with steel cut oats:

butter(pictured)
brown sugar (pictured)
milk or cream
maple syrup
raisins
cinnamon

Barbecue Beans

2009-12-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

Traditional barbecue beans are tangy, hearty, filling and cheap. They are great as a side or can be eaten as a main dish. The problem: The starting flavor base is usually bacon or salt pork. Converting such a recipe to a vegetarian diet requires more than the addition of some fat or oil. Bacon or other cured pork has a smokey, sweet, salty rich flavor from the smoking and curing spices. For a vegetarian version of these beans, the addition of extra salt, cloves, and liquid smoke makes up for the lost bacon. These are simple to make. Toss everything in and forget about it. Either soak the beans during the day, and cook all night while sleeping, or soak the beans overnight and cook while at work.

Winner, Loser or Meh

These were hearty and delicious. The butter, cloves, extra salt and liquid smoke made up for the missing traditional pork.

Recipe:

I used a 6 quart crock for this. This will work in a medium crock as well.

Ingredients:

1 lb dried Great Northern Beans
5 cups water
3 Tbls butter or margarine (I used butter)
1 yellow onion, peeled, diced (leave 1/8th section of union unchopped)
2-3 whole cloves
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used Christopher's jarred)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce or ketchup
1 Tbls mustard
1 Tbls vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1 - 2 tsp liquid smoke (to taste)
1/2 - 1 tsp salt (to taste)
hot pepper sauce (optional to taste)

Soak beans overnight in crock covered by 3 inches of water. Drain. Stud the onion piece with the 3 cloves. Put everything into the crock except the except the salt (salt toughens beans while cooking), liquid smoke, and hot pepper sauce. Stir. Cover. Cook on high for 8-10 hours. Use the back of a spoon to mash some of the beans in the crock. Cover and let cook a bit more so that the crushed beans can act as thickener. Add salt, liquid smoke and hot pepper sauce to taste.

Cornbread Stuffing with Apples, Raisins and Walnuts (Light Version)

2009-11-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

The road trip is over and family back home still had an abundance of Thanksgiving leftovers. The full fatted version of this stuffing was such a hit, it begged to be made again. Never thankful for a growing backside during the holidays, a calorie reduction was in serious order. The original version called for 16 tablespoons of butter. This lighter version shaves off 1200 calories just by reducing the butter, alone. This recipe makes 12 half cup servings, each a full 100 calories lighter.

After assembly it was alarming to see that it was much wetter than the original. Four hours later, when packed up for the voyage to Uncle Meat and Potatoes & Auntie EQ's, it looked perfect. Now for the big question: Does it taste as good as the original?

Winner Loser or Meh

This was delicious. Crunchy and crusty on the outside, moist in the inside. Three of us ate dinner. Dinner included a major gravy based potato, vegetable, and turkey casserole. After dinner, there were only two half cup servings of the stuffing left. What we made up for in butter calorie reductions, we lost to second and third helpings of stuffing. Burp.

While the butter festival version of the stuffing is better, I keep reminding myself that butter makes anything taste better. Think about the divine taste of escargot. Somehow I think a butterless version of escargot would taste just like...well...an icky garden snail. Oh...wait....escargot are icky garden snails, they just have lots of butter and garlic. I rest my case.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this. I used two bags from a big box of stuffing cubes, so this could easily be halved and made in a smaller crock.

Ingredients:

1 twin bag box Mrs. Cubbison's Stuffin' Seasoned Cornbread
4 Tbls butter divided, 2 of the Tablespoons cut into tiny cubes (vegans can use margarine or good quality oil)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
5 inner ribs and leaves of celery, diced (enough to make 1 1/2 cups)
1 tart apple, cored and diced (I used Granny Smith)
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 3/4 cups vegetable stock (I used Vegetable Better than Bouillon and water to make stock)

Spray crock with no stick spray. Pour contents of seasoned stuffing cubes into crock. Heat 2 Tbls butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the onion and celery until translucent and soft. Add contents of skillet to the crock and stir. Add celery, apple, walnuts, raisins, parsley, and butter chunks to crock and stir to distribute all ingredients evenly. Slowly drizzle stock over crock ingredients, while stirring at the same time. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours OR cook on high for 1 hour and reduce heat to low for 5-6 hours.

Fig Jam

2009-11-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

"Oh bring us some figgy pudding, oh bring us a figgy pudding, oh bring us a figgy pudding..." It's that time of year again. Today there will be no figgy puddings, but there will be some Fig Jam. This vegetarian slow cooker lives in an area of town called Fig Garden, smack dab in one of the fig capitals of the world. Two pounds of fresh figs and other goodies were turned into seven 4oz jars of slow cooked madness. Be prepared: This week will feature an abundance of chutney, jams, and fruit & nut butters, because Santa is busy in the workshop getting ready to ship slow cooked love in a jar to all - even the naughty.

This took a long time. Inspiration recipes called for only 5 hours of slow cooking, but this took too many hours to count accurately. The reasons are not entirely clear. There was the additional factor of a newly purchased double crock twin based slow cooker. Perhaps it cooks at a lower temperature than its single counterpart. Perhaps not. The recipes that came with the double have the exact same cooking times as any other Rival crock pot. The spoon notch was covered up with some aluminum foil, so heat loss could not have been the culprit.

A note on why the double crock and not the triple crock that is for sale at Costco right now. The triple is long, large, and bulky. It is likely to come out only during holiday and party events. The double is easily carried and stored. It fits nicely on a counter and leaves room for other things. The crocks are about 2 1/2-3 quarts each, so it is perfect for a family to make a main dish and a side at the same time. This was also the perfect size to navigate into a car for my dinner and dessert contributions to Grey's Anatomy family bonding night. Bottom line: It was likely to get more regular use.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This is delicious. I am not a fig lover but this was really unique and special. The flavor combination is smashing. It will be smashing on English muffins, and I also think a small jar over brie before baking would be divine.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2 quart crock for this - perfect size

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh figs, peeled with vegetable peeler, cut into 8ths (I used Caifornia Figs, because, well.... they are in my neighborhood)
1 1/2 cups sugar (I used organic pure cane)
1/2 cup water
1 lemon, diced, including the rind, remove the seeds
2 1/2 - 3 Tbls crystallized ginger, finely diced

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Remove cover and cook until reaches a warm jam like consistency. This was supposed to take 1-2 hours and instead took many (more than 5). While still hot, pour into clean, sterilized 4 oz jars, cover with new lids, and process for 15 minutes. OR store covered in fridge for 3 weeks. This makes 3 1/2 cups.

Mango Date Cherry Raisin Chutney

2009-11-28T01:04:00.000-08:00

Yet another holiday canning Chutney project. Mangoes were $.68 a piece, cheaper than any fruit at Winco. The bulk bins were loaded with raisins, dried cherries, and pitted dates. What more could a girl want? This cooked nearly 12 hours. Half the day covered, the other half uncovered. Jars were sterilized, filled, covered with new lids and processed, all in under 30 minutes. The most labor intensive part of this was chopping all the ingredients.

This filled 12 half pint jars with enough leftover to store a container for my own use in the fridge

Winner, Loser or Meh

This is very reminiscent of a quality chunky barbecue sauce, but with a more exotic flavor. It is sweet, hot, spicy, with a pronounced vinegar tang. Its flavors and textures are perfect for warm weather climates or outdoor cooking.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock pot for this.

Ingredients

8 mangoes, peeled, flesh cut from pit and chopped
1 pound pitted dates, chopped
1 cup dark raisins
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup dried cherries
3 Tbls jarred minced ginger
2 white onions, peeled, chopped
4 limes, juiced, rinds diced and added to juice
3 cups apple cider vinegar
3 cups dark brown sugar, packed
2 cups sugar (I used organic pure cane)
5 tsp yellow mustard seeds
3 tsps cinnamon
2 tsps vanilla extract
2 tsps chili powder
2 tsps ground coriander
2 tsps aground allspice
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Add all ingredients to the crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours. Uncover and continue cooking on high until it cooks down and reaches a warm jam fresh jam like consistency, abou 4-6 hours more. Pour into clean jars, cover with new lids, and process for 15 minutes OR store covered in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Candied Coconut Pecan Yams II

2009-11-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

Here we go again! Round two. A shredded version of this recipe was featured previously and it was unspectacular. This, despite numerous rave reviews on several cooking and blog sites. How could all those reviews be so wrong? The recipes were all substantially similar, with the exception of two different method for cutting the yams. One was shredded, the other sliced. So here we go again with sliced yams instead of shredded.

Fourteen to sixteen people are coming for Thanksgiving. If this turns out to be a flop, who cares? There will tons of other great food to divert everyone's attention. Two sides were made in the crock for this feast, which freed up oven space, left lots of time to make other goodies, and the crocks did double duty as chaffing dishes.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was outstanding and went fast. People wanted the recipe. Cousin Cake Queen told them it would be on the blog. What a difference a slice makes. This got all crusty and nice on the edges. A new Thanksgiving staple.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock pot for this in order to accommodate Thanksgiving dinner for 16. This recipe can be halved and still fits in a 6 quart crock or halved and made in a 3-4 quart crock.

Ingredients:

4 pounds yams, peeled, sliced into 1/4-1/3 inch thick rounds or halves
2 tsp vanilla extract (this would have been half vanilla and half coconut, but no coconut could be found)
1/2 cup butter, melted (vegans can use margarine)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup pecans pieces
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbls butter, cut into tiny cubes

Spray no stick cooking spray in crock. Add yams to the crock. Add vanilla to melted butter. Pour butter over yams. Mix sugar, coconut, pecans and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Spread evenly over the yams. Dot butter chunks evenly over the top. Cover. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Serve warm.

Cornbread Stuffing with Apples, Raisins, and Walnuts

2009-11-26T10:35:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is usually no holiday for the host. Putting on a major holiday meal can be a major logistical stress. Oven space is limited, serving dishes and counter space are at a premium, and there is never enough time. The slow cooker comes to the rescue in solving many of these problems. Most traditional dishes are perfect for the crock. Whether assembled the morning of Thanksgiving, or made ahead and stored, they can all be made and served in the same dish. Stuffing, Yams, Cranberry Sauce are perfect for making and serving from the crock. Other dishes, like Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, and Green Bean Casserole can be made ahead via traditional oven or stove top means, stored in a crock, and then reheated via the crock and kept warm while guests come and go. All this leaves more time and less stress for the host to spend time with friends and family.

This year, while traveling on the road, stuffing and Candied Coconut Pecan Yams, were easily prepared by this Vegetarian Slow Cooker to contribute to Cousin Cake Queen's impressive Thanksgiving spread. Sixteen were invited. Cousin Cake Queen's kitchen is small and has one oven, which was occupied by a rather large bird. Both slow cooker dishes dishes were assembled earlier in the day, while there was a lull in the kitchen, then plugged in out of the way. They were served straight from the crock.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was outstanding. I have never been a huge fan of cornbread stuffing, but this was easy and delicious. The edges and top got all crusty. It was moist, yet firm, and flavorful. I basically used boxed seasoned bread cubes, vegetable stock, and parsley to provide lightness. Then added other available goodies from the cabinet. It was all gone by bedtime. Cousin Cake Queen stuffed her bird with regular bread stuffing, so there was a lot of stuffing. I will make this again and again, and always in a crock.

Psst.... check out Cousin Cake Queens very perfect Pecan Pie in the top shot.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this. I used two bags from a big box of stuffing cubes, so this could easily be halved and made in a smaller crock.

Ingredients:

1 twin bag box Mrs. Cubbison's Stuffin' Seasoned Cornbread
1 cup butter, (2 sticks) divided, one stick cut into tiny cubes
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
5 inner ribs and leaves of celery, diced (enough to make 1 1/2 cups)
1 tart apple, cored and diced (I used Granny Smith)
1/3 - 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 - 1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock (I used Vegetable Better than Bouillon and water to make stock)

Spray crock with no stick spray. Pour contents of seasoned stuffing cubes into crock. Heat 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium high heat and saute onion and celery until translucent and soft. Add contents of skillet to the crock and stir. Add celery, apple, walnuts, raisins, parsley, and remaining butter chunks to crock and stir to distribute all ingredients evenly. Slowly drizzle stock over crock ingredients, while stirring at the same time. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours OR cook on high for 1 hour and reduce heat to low for 5-6 hours.

Cran-Apple Chutney

2009-11-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

Tis' the season. Apples and cranberries are never more affordable or in abundance than in the weeks and days leading up to Thanksgiving. This is the perfect time of year to add yet another slow cooked home canned goody into the crock. This couldn't be easier. Whether making a batch to be sent out with holiday gift baskets, used as a house gift during holiday visits, or served right alongside the Thanksgiving spread, this is nothing short of delicious. Sweet, hot, smoky and rich. This makes an excellent spread for savory cheese sandwiches and your omnivore friends will probably slather it all over poultry sandwiches.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This was and is delicious. It's going in my holiday gift packages, along with previously made Apple Butter, Pumpkin Butter, and goodies to come in the next two weeks. It filled, exactly, 14 half pint jars.

Recipe

This barely fit into a 6 quart crock pot and can easily be halved and still made in a 6 quart crock pot.

Ingredients:

4 jumbo sized shallots or 8 small ones, peeled, chopped
3 large oranges, zest only, zest then cut into 1/2 inch strands (use a zester that yields longer thicker strands)
3 12 ounce bags cranberries
3 pounds tart apples, unpeeled, cored, finely diced (I used Granny Smith's)
2 pounds dark brown sugar
1 cup dried apricots, diced
3 inch ginger chunks, peeled, minced
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
3/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp allspice
1 cup apple cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients into the crock and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 5 - 5 1/2 hours. Uncover and continue cooking on low until it cooks down to a jam like consistency. Freeze or store covered in the fridge if you like.

OR Immediately pour into clean half pint canning jars, cover with new lids that have been simmering in hot water, tighten with bands and process, fully covered, in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from bath with jar lifter and let cool on the counter overnight. As the jars cool, you should hear a popping sound as the lids vacuum seal. Check lids in the morning to make sure they are sucked down and do not pop up and down.

Senate Bean Soup

2009-11-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

While our elected officials are busy carrying on the nations business in Washington, the senate kitchen carries on the daily business of turning out a bean soup classic, available to anyone who stops by. This delicious soup has been a Senate kitchen staple for decades. The recipe, a U.S. treasure in and of itself, has been available to the public for ages. It just doesn't work for vegetarians because it requires a ham hock. Well not anymore. Thanks to liquid smoke and some butter, the ham hock is not necessary at all. The original recipe also was not designed for the crock, but most bean based soups are easily adaptable. This adaptation will simmer away on the counter unattended all day while you tend to the nation's business or your own. This makes enough to feed a small army, leaves a surplus, and won't contribute to the family budget deficit.

Winner, Loser or Meh

They "ayes" have it. Meat eaters loved this soup, too. A true, rare, bipartisan success. This was hearty and delicious. Even better the second day.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this.

Ingredients:

1 pound Navy beans
2 yellow onions, peeled, minced
3 potatoes, peeled, chopped
6 stalks celery with leaves, minced
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped, divided
1 1/2 Tbls Vegetable Better Than Bouillon (or use 4 cups vegetable stock and reduce water to 6 cups)
10 cups water
2 Tbls butter (vegans can use margarine)
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp liquid smoke
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Soak beans in crock overnight covered in 3 inches of water. Drain. Place beans back in crock. Add next 4 ingredients and 1/2 the parsley. Cover and cook on high for 8-10 hours, until beans are soft but hold their shape. Add remaining parsley and last 3 ingredients. Stir and serve warm.

Apple Sauce

2009-11-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

There were lots of older apples rolling around the bottom of the bin in the pantry. They were taken for a ride to Bishop, California, so that they would be put to use during Thanksgiving week. Applesauce is a perfect accompaniment to smokey bean dishes, like Senate Bean Soup, which was served alongside this.

Cousin Cake Queen, put up with my crocking during Thanksgiving week, while I stayed at her place for free. She is a delightful cook, interested in all things food, whose pantry and spice cabinet rivals my own. She makes the most wonderful whimsical cakes, which routinely win blue ribbons at the fair. Perhaps if she is reading this she will send me some pictures and I can post some links to astound you.

Winner, Loser or Meh

I did not care for this. Cousin Cake Queen did. I used Fujii apples. I think this would have been better with a different apple variety. No amount of sugar seemed to make the tartness go away for me. It was better served cold.

I will try this again, in the future with a different recipe and a different variety of apple.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this, a medium sized crock would have worked as well.

Ingredients:

9 apples, peeled, cored, chopped into eight pieces each
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbls brown or white sugar (or more to taste)

Place first 3 ingredients into the . Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7. Blend with immersion blender. Add cinnamon powder and sugar to taste. Serve warm or cold.

Curried Yellow Split Pea Stoup

2009-11-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

Cousin Cake Queen greeted me as her Thanksgiving week house guest by handing me a low fat soup cookbook (marked with an interesting recipe or two), tossing assorted bags of dried legumes on the kitchen counter, pointing to 3 crock pots, and insisting that anything in her well stocked kitchen was mine for the making. I greeted her with a bag of ripening apples, potatoes, onions and other assorted items from my kitchen. It was a match made in heaven. This stoup was inspired by a stove top recipe from the soup book, which looked good, but turned out not to have much flavor. The spices were amped up a notch or two to suit our needs.

Winner, Loser or Meh

At first we didn't think we liked it. Then we each had 2 bowls. Cake Queens dad came by for dinner and he had 2 or 3 bowls. This was great the second day, after the flavors had a chance to meld together. If you ever plan on making this, try putting it in the crock the night before, adding the apples, potatoes, Swiss chard when you wake up, and then leaving it for the flavors to meld in the fridge while you go about your day.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this.

Ingredients:

1 Tbl olive oil
1 large onion, peeled, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups yellow split peas
7 1/2 cups water
3 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
7 1/2 cups water
2 tsp salt.
3 medium potatoes, scrubbed, cubed
2 medium green apples, cored, diced
1 large bunch Swiss chard or Nappa cabbage, chopped (we could not get Swiss chard and would have preferred it)

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Saute onions and garlic until soft and translucent. Add to crock. Add everything else to crock, except Swiss chard, potatoes and apples. Cook covered on low for 10 hours. Turn heat to high, add potatoes and apples and cook until they are tender, about 1 to 2 hours. Turn off heat. Stir in Swiss chard or Nappa cabbage. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

2009-11-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

The theme for this week has been to use up everything that has been sitting in the pantry or taking up fridge space before leaving to spend Thanksgiving week with family in Bishop, California. Green Bell peppers were on sale for $.38 this week. Couple that with some frozen leftover diced onion, a frozen bag of corn, a little bit of frozen brown rice, some frozen stock, too many tiny cans of tomato sauce, and old shredded cheddar in the fridge drawer, and it was time to make something up. These stuffed peppers were the result. It's just you and me kid. No one has vouched for these in the past.

(It took a while to get this up because the pictures were in the camera while I was out of town.)

Winner, Loser or Meh

These were okay, but not great. They grew on me the next day. I would not serve this to company, but it is a serviceable hearty dish that can be made with items usually found in the house.

Recipe

I used a 2 1/2-3 quart crock for this and jammed the peppers in. You can use a larger crock and place the peppers into a smaller oven safe dish that will fit inside the larger crock. You can also double the recipe and use a 6 quart crock.

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers, tops cut off, cored, seeded
1 16 oz bag corn
1 to1 1/2 cups cooked rice
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used Christopher's jarred)
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup vegetable stock, divided (you can used boxed)

Spray crock with no stick spray. Pour 1/4 cup stock into bottom of crock. Mix all ingredients except the peppers together in a bowl. Spoon 1/4 of the filling into each pepper. Place each pepper into the crock. If there was filling that would not fit, spoon it over the top of the peppers. Pour remaining stock over the top of the peppers. Cover. Cook on low for 7-9 hours or on high for 3-5 hours. Serve warm.

Caramel Fondue

2009-11-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

This was a long hectic work week. Today there were lots of little fires to put out. There was not a lot of time. There was a big need for an easy dessert. Every other family member was also busy with their own projects and they were all coming and going during the evening. This little dessert fondue could not have been easier. A can of Dulce de Leche from last week's prior crock pot adventure, splashes of rum, a bit of milk, a tart apple, and $ .57 of Winco bulk bin mini pretzels and lemon animal crackers did the trick. This entire large dessert plate came in at $1.88. If you have a Lil' Dipper, you can not only heat the fondue, but keep it warm while serving. If you don't have a Lil' Dipper, you can microwave the caramel for a few seconds if it starts to firm up.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Yummy! Kids will love this. Adults will, too. We did.

Recipe

I tossed everything into a 1.5 quart crock. A Lil' Dipper would be perfect for this. If you only have a large crock, put everything into a smaller baking dish and put the baking dish inside the large crock. It will work.

Ingredients

1 can Dulce de Leche
2 Tbls rum
2 Tbls milk

Add to crock and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

For dipping:

fruit slices
pound cake cubes
angel food cake cubes
animal crackers
pretzels

Baked Brie with Apples, Cranberries & Pecans

2009-11-17T17:23:00.000-08:00

If it's not already apparent, brie was on super sale last week, and there were many leftover odds and ends in the pantry from past crock adventures that needed using. As the holidays approach, there is nothing better than warm appetizer based dinners and snacks. This one includes the best of seasonal ingredients on sale with the comforting tastes and smells of the holidays. The night was spent with family catching up on work and missed television episodes. This, a bottle of wine, and Caramel Fondue (which will be featured next) was the perfect simple evening fare for our needs. We served this on corn based crackers out of respect for those with gluten intolerance.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was good and very satisfying, but not quite as yummy as the Baked Brie with Caramelized Apricots & Pecans, but please don't get me wrong. None of it is left. This was more "desserty" than the apricot brie.

Recipe

I used a 1 1/2 quart mini crock for this, but any size crock will work for this if the ingredients are placed in a smaller over safe dish that will fit in a larger crock.

Ingredients:

1 tart apple, unpeeled, cored, diced
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 Tablespoon brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tbl butter, cut into pieces
1 8 ounce round brie cheese

Mix all ingredients together, except the brie, in a small bowl. Slice the brie wheel in half horizontally. Place one half of the brie, rind side down, in the crock pot. Spoon half the bowl mixture over the brie. Top with other half of the brie wheel rind side up. Spoon remaining half of bowl mixture over the top. Cover crock and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Serve warm with crackers.

Maple Spiced Dried Fruit Steel Cut Oatmeal

2009-11-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

Time to try another healthy warm breakfast cereal. Last month, this month, and next month involve an intense work trial. Usually breakfast gets forgotten under such circumstances, especially when it's cold out. Steel cut oats are supposed to be the best. They are rich in fiber, a whole grain, cheap in bulk, and do well with prolonged crock cooking. They were purchased, and right before bedtime, unceremoniously tossed in the crock with available leftover dried fruit and other assorted ingredients from past crock projects Sleep came soundly. Hours later, as the morning dawn light broke through the window blinds, the rich wonderful aroma of this concoction flooded from the kitchen and wafted into the bedroom. This is oh so much better than it looks.

Winner, Loser or Meh

I do not like warm breakfast cereals. I loved this. I had a bowl at breakfast. I sat at work in court all day and wanted it for lunch, too. I was beyond sad I didn't bring any. I had it for dinner. The fruits, maple, and spice in this are fabulous. The cherries and cranberries make it so different and exotic in flavor.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock and placed a smaller souffle dish inside it which contained all the ingredients. You can also use a small crock pot for this.

Ingredients:

1 cup steel-cut oats
2 Tbls maple syrup
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
pinch nutmeg
6 twists nutmeg from grinder
4 cups water

Spray crock with no stick spray. Combine all ingredients in the crock and stir well. Cook on low overnight, 7-9 hours. Serve warm.

Cranberry Sauce

2009-11-15T20:48:00.000-08:00

Gobble, gobble. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and traditional items associated with the holiday are on sale. Cranberries were $1.49 a bag today. This is a basic stove top whole cranberry sauce recipe, like the one that comes on the bag, converted for the crock. There are fancier versions, which might be featured over the next month or so, but for now, keep it simple. This will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. For the organized, busy, or lazy host, there is no time like the present to get this item out of the way and ready for the big meal next week.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This is a delicious basic fresh whole cranberry sauce. It could not have been easier to make. No fuss, no muss, no stir. Foolproof.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this because my 1 1/2 quart crock was already in use. I mixed all the ingredients into a one quart Pyrex measuring cup and set the Pyrex inside the larger slow cooker. You can do the same with any oven safe baking dish.

Ingredients:

1 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
grated zest of an orange

Combine everything except the zest in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, until the cranberries have popped open. Turn off heat, stir in zest. Keep lid off and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Glazed Maple & Mustard Brussel Sprouts

2009-11-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

Fresh full stalks of Brussels sprouts could be had today for about $2 at Trader Joes. Sprouts fresh cut from the stalk are sweeter than those purchased already cut from the stalk. For those who hate sprouts, ones that are fresh and served with a glaze are likely to cause a conversion. Many are likely to become true believers.

The fresh sugary stalk was brought home, and stored with the cut end in water until needed. The sprouts were broken off, quickly peeled of outer leaves, cut in half, and tossed in the crock with all the other yummy ingredients. Prep time was less than 10 minutes. While these slowly crocked, library books were returned, the weeks shopping was done, and the end of a movie was watched.

This can be made using frozen sprouts or those already cut from the stalk. Just adjust the cooking time if starting with frozen sprouts.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Two haters liked these. One said they liked the fresh sugary taste of these and enjoyed the al dente crunch. These were good. An underdog winner if ever there was one.

Recipe

I used a 1 1/2 quart mini crock for this, but you can put these ingredients into a small oven safe dish and place within a larger crock if you don't have a smaller one.

Ingredients

1 Tbls butter (vegans can use olive oil)
1 stalk Brussels sprouts (about 2-3 cups) blemished or tough outer leaves removed, halved
1 1/2 Tbls Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbls pure maple syrup
1 Tbls lemon juice
2 Tbls pecans, chopped
Coarsely ground black pepper to taste
A few twists of fresh grated nutmeg just before serving (optional)

Add all ingredients except the optional nutmeg to the crock. Cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until al dente. Adjus salt and pepper and add nutmeg. Serve warm.

Baked Brie with Caramelized Apricots & Pecans

2009-11-13T17:19:00.000-08:00

Friday nights are perfect for Happy Hour at home. The work week is over, and a warm sweet and savory appetizer is perfect dinner fare. Baked brie. What's not to love? Buttery, warm, sophisticated and simple, all at the same time.

This was made with leftover ingredients from food featured here in the past few weeks. The mini brie wheel was on sale for $2.88. It takes all of 2 minutes to toss together and then crocks away with no monitoring in a little over an hour.

Return some calls, talk about your day with your loved ones, enjoy a glass of wine, and then enjoy this.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Uncle Meat and Potatoes and I loved this. Auntie "EQ" had a love affair with it at the kitchen counter. This was a big winner.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this, because my 1 1/2 quart mini was in use. I placed the brie wheel into a small oven safe corning dish, and put the other ingredients on top. This would have worked in a Lil Dipper or a 1 1/2 quart mini as well.

Ingredients:

1 small brie wheel or large wedge of brie (I used an 8.5 ounce brie wheel)
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 Tbl brown sugar
1 Tbl water
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp dried rosemary or 1 tsp fresh

Take wrapper off of brie. Place the brie wheel into the crock or smaller oven safe dish that will fit into your crock. Mix all other ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the brie. Cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or on low for 3. Serve with crackers and/or tart apple wedges.

Cream of Squash Soup

2009-11-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

Remember all that squash bought last month for super duper cheap? We're finally in the home stretch of using it all up. Today was a rainy day. It's Thursday night Grey's family bonding night. Perfect comfort soup weather. There were 3 acorn squash left, which should have yielded 6 cups of squash for the recipe, but only 2 would fit in the 6 quart crock. Time for plan B. Less squash. This was a breeze to make. The squash were tossed in, just as I headed out to work. At the end of the day, they were simmering on the auto warm cycle. It took 10 minutes to toss it all together. This was made for under $3.00.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was basically the squash version of the Potato Soup that was such a hit a few weeks ago. I liked it, Auntie EQ liked it, Uncle Meat and Potatoes dreamed of bacon bits all over it. He made his own wish come true. I wanted it to have some garlic. I want garlic on everything, so my opinion may not count. It needed salt and when I added it, I liked it the best. This was good. I'd make it again.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock pot for this.

Ingredients

1/2 onion, peeled, diced (I used some frozen from a bag)
3 tablespoons butter
6 cups butternut or acorn squash (I used acorn squash, and could only fit in 2 so we had 4 cups and not 6 cups of squash)
4 cups vegetable stock (or Vegetable Better than Bouillon & water to make 4 cups)
3/4 tsp marjoram, dried
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot chili powder
16 oz cream cheese or neufetchel or combination ( I used all neufetchel to cut back on fat)

Poke any squash used with a fork, add to the crock with a cup of water and let it cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove from crock and wash the crock, return to cooking base and turn on high. Heat a no stick skillet over medium high heat and melt butter. Saute the onion until well cooked and caramelized. While the onions are cooking, cut the squash, seed it and scoop out the meat and return to the crock. Add all other ingredients. Add onions and butter.sauteed in butter and all the spices and let it crock for another thirty minutes to an hour. Adjust seasonings and add salt if desired. Use an immersion blender to smooth. Serve.

Candied Coconut Pecan Yams I

2009-11-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

Get ready to yam it up. Giant yams were $.39 each. I got 3, each weighing in at over 2.5 pounds. With Thanksgiving 'round the corner, it's time to get a jump on various crock pot options for the big holiday. This combination of flavors appeared with two different processing options for the yams. This first one is a shredded yam. Praise God for the food processor. It would never have been made if the only option was a hand grater. It took 5 store runs to find coconut extract. It used to be on shelves everywhere. It was finally located at a local Asian market. The next version of this has the same ingredient list, but the yams are cut into 1/2 inch circles. To be continued.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was good, not great. It tastes better than it looks. Perhaps if there was a plate of other delicious side dishes around, I would think this was the best yam recipe ever. I am used to childhood holiday yams swimming in obnoxious pools of sugary buttered goodness. There were no buttery sugared pools in this version. Adults will love this.

This version was outstanding: Candied Coconut Pecan Yams II

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock pot for this, a 3-4 quart would work fine, too.

Ingredients

2 pounds yams, peeled, shredded
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup butter, melted (vegans can use margarine)
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
coconut, toasted (optional)

Spray no stick cooking spray in crock. Add potatoes, sugar, butter, coconut, pecans and cinnamon to crock. Stir to mix all ingredients. Cover. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Stir in extracts. Top with toasted coconut.

Spiced Cider I

2009-11-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

This was made Halloween night while enjoying the evening with family. "It's mid November!" you say, "Why did you wait so long to post this seasonal treat?" For starters, it was terrible. Not to mention, we couldn't find any cool glasses to put it in for a photo shoot. (I lifted this photo from Brides.com). There was talk of venturing out to purchase an appropriate glass for the photo, but then a major distraction occurred. Truth be told, the distraction involved attempts to delude ourselves into thinking the cider wasn't awful by mixing equal parts brandy to spiced cider and downing it between bites of mini-Snickers. At that point, it wasn't safe to drive anywhere, not to mention there were still lots of mini-Snickers, and I won't walk away from a mini-Snickers without a fight. As an aside, I must say that I thank God everyday (sometimes two or three times a day) that Snickers are vegetarian.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Depends. Auntie "EQ" swears to this day that the cider was delicious, but she started with equal parts brandy to cider, so keep that in mind.

We'll try another version later this month. This version is great: Spiced Cider II

Recipe

I used a 4 quart round for this

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 large cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/8 cup packed brown sugar
1 large orange, quartered with peel
2 quarts apple cider

Place first 3 ingredient into a coffee filter and tie with string. Add all other ingredients to the crock and stir. Add tied coffee filter with spices and cook on low for 4 hours. Remove coffee filter and orange quarters. Serve. (With brandy if desired).

Boston Baked Beans

2009-11-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

The Boston tradition of smokey, sweet, molasses-infused, slow cooked, oven baked beans dates back to colonial times. Boston's thriving rum trade was fueled by processing sugar cane which left the region awash in molasses byproduct. Abundant molasses and the need to do something with it, gave rise to this regional specialty dish, which gave rise to Boston's nickname, Beantown. While the usual omnivore versions of this dish include salt pork, it is not necessary. Shaker communities developed a wonderful adaptation that is fully vegetarian. All versions of Boston Baked Beans take a long, long, time. It matters not whether cooked in the oven or in the crock pot, the time is the same. The oven requires frequent checking to make sure burning does not occur, the crock pot does not. Advantage crock pot.

This entire huge batch is several cans worth of commercially prepared beans and tastes much better. The total cost: $2.48 for the entire pot. I get all rummy inside just thinking about it.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was very good. It took every bit of the 12 hours at the tail end of the suggested cooking time. I got up early in the morning, after soaking the beans all night, to accomodate the 1 1/2 hour cook on high, and then set the timer for the full 12 hours, before leaving for work. I was famished having to wait so long for dinner. I suggest making this the day before you want to eat it, and taking the lid off in the last half hour to let some of the moisture evaporate. This will get nothing but better as it sits for a day before reheating.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this.

Ingredients

1 pound navy beans (small white beans)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup (dark grade)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
2 dashes mint
1 yellow onion, peeled, end chopped
4 whole cloves, stuck into the bottom of the onion
1/2 cup butter or (margarine for vegans)
liquid smoke to taste (optional, use sparingly)

Rinse and pick through the beans to remove stones and discolored beans. Soak the beans overnight covered by 3 inches of water. Rinse and drain. Cover with fresh water by 3 inches and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours. Drain. Return the beans to the crock. Add ketchup, molasses, maple syrup, pepper, salt, and savory. Stir. Push the onion studded with cloves into the center of the beans. Pour boiling water over the beans to cover by 1/2 an inch. Cook on low for 10-12 hours. Remove the onion, remove the cloves mash in the onion with the beans, stir in the butter, adjust seasonings. Serve warm.

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes, Feta, Olives, & Basil

2009-11-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

Get ready to rumble. Time for Round Two of Me vs Spaghetti Squash. The oven to stove top version of this match up had countless 5 star ratings at All Recipes. Interesting, given that almost no contender used the original recipe. Many of the pictures didn't even match the ingredients in the recipe. Punch drunk wondering how it qualified as a 5 star recipe when 3 or 4 ingredients were either added or changed and the proportions were different. Nevertheless, I carry on, dancing like a butterfly and stinging like bee.

Round One, Spaghetti Squash with Sage, Pine Nuts & Romano, started by sticking a squash several times with a fork, dropping it in the crock with water, and letting it cook all day. Preliminary approach is still a knock out. Another tip that I did not do in this round, but will do in the future: Don 't cut the squash lengthwise. If you cut it the other way, the strands come out longer and more like spaghetti. Then, the basic squash will be down for the count.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was very good. I think it would be fantabulous as a summer salad. I keep wanting to chill it and toss it with balsamic vinegar, which may be what happens with it tomorrow. I might even make this again without the tomatoes, chill the "salad", then add the chopped tomatoes and some balsamic. I am very sure this wants to be a late summer salad. I won't decide which list this goes on until after I have tried it as the balsamic salad. Stay tuned.

It was better than Spaghetti Squash with Sage, Pine Nuts & Romano. - I think. Not Sure. I wonder whether or not I am really a fan of spaghetti squash. I will reaffirm that the squash tastes better and is easier when cooked in the crock than it has been when I have cooked it in the oven.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash
2 Tbls olive oil
1 onion, peeled, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used Christopher's jarred)
5 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
3 Tbls. black olives, sliced (basically the entire small can)
3 Tbls. fresh basil, chopped
generous amount of fresh ground pepper

Pierce a spaghetti squash several times with a fork. Place in 1 to 2 cups of water in the crock. Cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Carefully remove the squash from crock with something to protect your hands. Let it cool enough to handle. Empty the water from the crock.

While the squash is cooling, heat oil in a large no stick skillet over medium high heat. Saute onion until tender, but still firm, add the garlic and stir. Turn off heat. Slice the squash in half, seed it, and use a fork to shred the strands from the squash and return the strands to the crock. Add the onion, garlic and oil mixture. Add the tomatoes and olives and toss so that they become warm, but the diced tomato pieces retain their shape. Add cheese and basil. Toss. Serve warm.

Dulce de Leche (Caramel Sauce)

2009-11-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

In Mexico, South America, and other areas of the globe a wicked wonderful milk caramel sauce, Dulce de Leche, has long been made by home cooks. They boil an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in water for a few hours, allow it to cool, and then open the can. Manufacturers of sweetened condensed milk advise that you must never do this, because the can might burst open and spew boiling hot caramel all over someone. So don't do this. Ever. You should also never put an unopened can or cans of sweetened condensed milk in the crock, cover with water, put on the lid, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, while you sleep, shop, or work. Never do this. Ever. It can be dangerous if hot sticky caramel explodes all over you when you get home.

Even if the can or cans don't explode, just think how really bad it would be to dip apple slices into the caramel and eat half the caramel. It would be terrible. Clearly something you should never do if you value your health, your waistline, or the health of your family. Trust me on this. You might even think eating Fat Burning Soup for a week before eating caramel sauce on apples will make it okay. It won't. So don't ever do this.

I know some of you are thinking it would be super cool to make homemade new labels on your computer and give cans of Dulce de Leche to family and friends for the holidays. Don't do it. Also, don't get the cheap non Eaglebrand sweetened condensed milk that is on sale for half the price, like the stuff at Winco for $.98 a can. Don't.

Winner, Loser or Meh

I didn't do this, so I can't really speak from experience, but if I had done this, I would say it would probably be one of the most delicious, easy and wonderful things ever put into my mouth or the mouths of those I love.

I also didn't make delicious Bannofee Pie. I did not take a graham cracker crust, put 2 cut up bananas inside it, and pour 2 cans of caramel sauce over the bananas, allow the pie to cool in the fridge, and then top with whipped cream. That never happened.

I also have no plans to buy a chocolate cookie crust and put a cup or more of crushed chocolate toffee bits into it and pour a can or so of this stuff over it and cover it with whipped cream. Even if I have PMS, I will never do anything like that.

Recipe

Don't put any single can or cans that fit in whatever size slow cooker you have that has a low setting.

Ingredients

Can or cans of unopened sweetened condensed milk with the labels removed.

Don't put any can or cans of unopened sweetened condensed milk with the labels removed into your crock pot. Don't cover those cans with water, put the lid on, and then cook them on low for 8-10 hours. Don't do it for 8 hours to get a thinner sauce or 10 hours to get a thicker sauce. Don't allow the cans to sit in the water for 10 minutes after cooking, with the power off. Don't remove those cans very carefully from the water with a jar lifter and place the cans on a towel on your kitchen counter. Don't let those cans sit there for one hour (at least) before opening them and using the stuff inside. Don't.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

2009-11-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Weekly Grey's Anatomy family bonding plans were squashed on account of adult chaperon duty at a junior high school dance. Always one to take defeating news lying down (okay, I take all news lying down), I managed to squash right back. Acorn squash were .59 each a couple of weeks ago and I still had three. Since there would be no sweet get together, I decided to savor my evening alone. Most winter squash fare has a sweet component. I looked for something with more savory accents and found this easy crockable stuffed squash recipe. I have no idea who developed it, because it was found on multiple websites. I altered nothing and prepared it exactly as written. This is a light meal, coming in under 350 calories per half.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This was good and I was happy to get a winter squash dish that wasn't like a dessert. I enjoyed the combination of flavors in this dish. The squash is sweet, but the hit of garlic, texture of the rice, earthiness of the pine nuts, with the tang from cheese and tomato balanced very well. This gets to be on the winners list because it is easy, cheap, low in calories, and looks and tastes like something from the deli case at Whole Foods.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this.

Ingredients:

1 large acorn squash, halved lengthwise, seeded, bowl-like bottom of squash half sliced to sit flat
olive oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup wild rice
1/4 cup raw pine nuts (pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds may be substituted)
1 Tbls minced garlic (I used Christopher's jarred)
1 Tbls tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese (I used feta)

Pour water into crock. Brush squash halves with olive oil and place in slow cooker. In a bowl, combine wild rice, pine nuts, minced garlic, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and spices. Stir & mix well. Spoon rice mixture into each squash half. Pour 1/2 the stock into each squash cavity, being careful not to let stuffing flow over. Pour any remaining stock around the squash. Cover. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Sprinkle with cheese and serve warm.

Baked Potatoes

2009-11-05T05:53:00.000-08:00

One potato, two potato, three potato, four, five potato, six potato seven potato more? With the crock the number doesn't matter. Work all day? Come home to steaming hot potatoes. Having a party? Use the crock for a potato bar set up hours in advance. Don't want to heat up the house? Forget about the oven, use the crock. On day two of the Fat Burning Soup diet? Time for a baked potato. It couldn't be easier in the crock. Simply scrub your potatoes, rub them with oil and kosher salt (or not), wrap in foil, and toss in the crock. Add just one or two or fill the crock to the brim. It doesn't matter. Cook them all day and the potato meat inside will be slightly brownish in color, but tasty as can be. If you cook them in half the time on high, the meat will stay white. If pride demands the innards of the potato be white, plug the crock into a lamp timer to delay the start of cooking. Either way, it's a hot potato!

Winner, Loser, or Meh

These taste good. They are easy and convenient. Even though microwaved baked potatoes can be a quick convenience, these taste better and you can do many at once. Sure, a classic true oven baked potato is the best, but when time, convenience, or house temperature are issues, this is the perfect and best solution.

Psst...10 pounds of Russet potatoes were $1.68 last week and that's not a crock.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this, but use any size you want. It doesn't really matter.

Ingredients:

Russet potatoes, scrubbed, as little as you want or as many will fit in the crock
oil (optional)
Kosher salt (optional)

Rub potatoes with oil, coat with salt, wrap in foil. Place in crock. Do not add water. Cover. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 3-4 hours. If you want the meat of the potato to stay white, use the high setting and cook for 3-4 hours.

Fat Burning Soup

2009-11-04T05:44:00.000-08:00

Remember those crazy cabbage soup diets from the 70's? All I remember is the soup was fantastic, loaded with veggies, filled an industrial sized stock pot, and no one stuck with the accompanying rigid diet plan. Google the plan and you'll see why. Some chums on an internet bulletin board are making and eating various soups this week to jump start their diets. The classic Fat Burning Soup ended up on one of the recipe lists. I have modified it to be 100% vegetarian and to fit perfectly in a 6 quart crock. There were promises of featured lighter fare at Vegetarian Slow Cooker as the holidays approach and this couldn't be lighter. This hearty, flavorful and nutritious soup is also a 0 point Weight Watchers item, vegan, and gluten free. Why not treat you and yours to a bowl? Try it even if you aren't on a crazy diet. Delicious.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This is wonderful! I thought I would have to spice it to death when it was finished. It didn't need it. I put a little salt and pepper into the first bowl. Perfect.

I halved the original recipe, substituting vegetable stock for beef stock; tomato sauce and more vegetable stock for vegetable juice (because that was what was here); more onion and Vegetable Better Than Bullion for the Lipton Onion Soup mix; and a full can of green beans instead of half.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this. It was full.

Ingredients

2 medium carrots, ends removed, chopped
2 onions, peeled, chopped
1/2 a 16 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, with 1/2 the liquid
1/2 large head cabbage, chopped
1 Tbls vegetable base Better Than Boullion
1 15 ounce can cut green beans, drained
24 oz tomato sauce (or 1 quart V8 or Tomato Juice, then reduce stock by 1 cup)
1 green bell peppers, cored, seeded, diced
5 stalks celery, chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
2 cloves garlic minced (I used Christopher's jarred minced garlic)

Put it all in the crock pot. Stir. Cover. Cook high for 5 hours or low for 8.

Parmesan Risotto

2009-11-03T00:05:00.000-08:00

Risotto is Italian creamy comfort food at its best. Stove top risotto has never been hard to make, it just requires 20-30 minutes, or more, of constant stirring after all the ingredients are in the pan. Well not anymore! The crock is hands down the easiest way to make fool proof risotto, ever. There is no stirring. It comes out creamy and perfect every time - so long as you carefully respect the cooking time. I respected the cooking time by carefully checking the movie theater listings and selecting a movie that would get out in time for me to eat the risotto within minutes of returning home.

Risotto is made with a special short rice grain which yields a creamy texture. All rice grains are not created equal. Do not try this with other types of rice grains. It will not be creamy or delicious. Trust me.

This will not work in the crock if the crock is too large for the amount of risotto. If only a large slow cooker is available, do not worry. Use a 2-3 quart oven safe baking dish, put the prepared rice and liquid in it, and then place the baking dish inside the large slow cooker. When the risotto is finished, be careful removing the smaller baking dish. It will be hot. Use oven mitts.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Delicious! There is nothing else to say.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this, but put all the ingredients into a smaller 2 1/2 quart souffle dish and then placed it into the crock.

Ingredients

2 Tbs olive oil
2 medium shallots, peeled, minced; or 1 clove garlic, minced and 1/4 onion, peeled diced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/4 cup aborrio rice
3 3/4 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 Tbs lite soy or Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Spray crock or smaller baking dish to put in crock with no stick spray. Heat oil in a no stick skillet over medium high heat. Saute shallots (or garlic and onion) until translucent. Add wine and stir. Add rice and saute until the grains turn opaque (about 2-3 minutes). Do not brown the rice. Pour rice mixture into crock or baking dish. Add stock and soy sauce. Cook on high for 2 - 2 1/2 hours. It is done when there is still some liquid, and the rice is firm but tender. Stir in 1/2 the cheese. Use the rest of cheese to sprinkle on top of servings. This will keep in the warm setting for about an hour.

Focaccia

2009-11-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

Focaccia can be made in the crock. Oh, yes it can! For the uber equipment and energy challenged, a no knead focaccia dough, made completely in a plastic storage container, requiring just a few stirs, will be featured later this week. So hold on and don't abandon all hope, yet. Until then, let's just revel in wonder that focaccia and yeast breads are crockable. A sample bread machine focaccia recipe is listed below. It's just an example for proportions that work in a 6 quart oval crock pot. Substitute any focaccia dough recipe. This works with store bought dough, or dough made by hand. The key is to follow the crocking instructions.

Auntie "EQ", made a double batch of bread machine whole wheat focaccia dough this weekend. Half was used for the loaf pictured here, the other half was refrigerated and used to make a second loaf the next day. (Psst. I love to call her Auntie because technically she is, but she is younger than I, so it makes me feel younger. EQ is short for "Embroidery Queen", my name for her, not hers. Don't tell. Even though she regularly reads here.)

Winner, Loser or Meh

We liked this. It will be made again. Three adults scarfed down the first trial run in under 5 minutes. I thought it had overcooked and was too hard. The second run cooked for 30 minutes less. It was much better. Four adults scarfed it down in under 10 minutes with other appetizers on the table. There were no complaints. I was a 5th adult with a complaint. Everyone was so hungry and anxious to eat, I didn't let the finished focaccia rest for 10 minutes before slicing. It would have been better. No one else seemed to care.

The first batch had olives, basil, kosher salt, and mozzarella topping. The second batch had olives, sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, basil, kosher salt, and Parmesan cheese.

Recipe

I used a Rival 6 quart crock for this. (Other sizes and different manufacturers will require different proportions and different cooking times since settings vary among manufacturers.)

Sample Ingredients for a Focaccia Whole Wheat Bread Machine Dough for a double batch:

1 1/2 cup water
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 teaspoons dry yeast

Proportions and ingredient list from Bread Machine Magic by Linda Rehberg & Lois Conway

Follow instructions from bread machine manufacturer for order of ingredients and processing. Slick with some extra olive oil and store in plastic wrap.

Crock Instructions:

Spray crock with no stick spray. Roll out dough ball between two sheets of plastic wrap to form the shape of the crock oval. Let the shape be large enough to touch the edges of the crock. It can be slightly over. Place in crock. Puncture dough several times with a knife so that it remains flat when cooking.

Add desired toppings or combination of topping such as:

olives
kosher salt
rosemary
cheese
basil
sun dried tomatoes
roasted garlic

Place clean dish towel or layers of paper towels over crock and cover with lid. Pull edges of towel into the center of the lid's top to make the towel taught. The towel will serve as a moisture wick. Cook on high for 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours. Do not open the lid before the 1 1/2 hour mark. It is done when the crust is firm and there is a slight hollow sounding when tapped. Turn off heat. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Finished Focaccia - Note Height

Finished Focaccia in Crock

Gratin Potatoes - Light

2009-11-01T05:44:00.000-08:00

The holidays are coming up, and the reading on the scale usually comes up right along beside them. During the next few weeks at Vegetarian Slow Cooker, a sprinkling of lightened recipe conversions for typical high calorie fare shall appear. And not a moment too soon. Yesterday, as three crocks of soon- to-be-featured lighter fare simmered away, trick or treaters rang at the door. Each time the door closed behind costumed kiddies with their bags of booty, a mini Snickers found its way into my mouth, where it is sure to land on my booty.

This is a low fat oven classic from In the Kitchen with Rosie, which I have adapted for the crock. It will not look as pretty as the oven version, nor will it be as crusty or firm, but it will taste just as good. The potatoes were left unpeeled to provide added fiber and nutrients.

Winner, Loser or Meh

I spent last night with family, and everyone really liked this. I was stunned. My taste buds would have preferred more salt, pepper, and other spices (which I added to my serving) but the rest of the family insisted it was great just exactly as it was. I was eating mine between bites of Snickers, so perhaps my palate was off a bit.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart oval for this. A large round would work as well.

Ingredients:

12 oz can evaporated skim milk
3 medium baking potatoes, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, then sliced thin into half rounds
2 Tbls all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
1 medium onion, peeled, thinly sliced into half rings
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper (I use fresh ground)
1 small zucchini or crook neck squash, ends cut, sliced into thin rounds
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg or several twists from the nutmeg grinder
1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash or Spike or salt (I used salt)
3 Tbls Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper

Spray crock with no stick cooking spray. Splash a layer of skim condensed milk on the bottom of the crock to prevent scorching. Layer a third of the potatoes to cover the crock bottom. Overlapping is fine. Sprinkle one tablespoon flour over the potatoes. Layer with all onion slices. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and 1/2 the paprika (salt and pepper to if desired). Layer another third of the potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining flour, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese. Layer with all zucchini. Sprinkle with nutmeg, Mrs. Dash, and pepper. Layer with remaining potatoes (salt and pepper if desired). Top with remaining Parmesan, paprika, and salt and pepper (if desired). Pour the remaining milk over the top, being careful not to disturb the cheese. Cook on high 3-4 hours or Low for 6-7 (I did high for 4 hours).

Pumpkin Butter

2009-10-31T04:04:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween. Ghouls and goblins take to the streets extorting tricky treats from Monster Mashing neighbors. Whether keeping the zombies at bay armed with treats, or on the sidewalk guarding the little monsters, why not treat yourself to this delectable Monster Mash and the heavenly aromatic delight which awaits. No trick, just a treat. You'll end up with a pantry full of delicious Pumpkin Butter, usable throughout the holiday season. Slather this on graham crackers or morning toast, pour over cream cheese, use a jar or two for pumpkin bread or an easy pumpkin pie. Delicious!

Winner, Loser or Meh

Ever had delicious exquisite expensive pumpkin butter from a specialty store? This is even better. Amazing, rich, addicting, wonderful. It tastes like pumpkin caramel. After filling 11 jars, my aunt and I stood at the counter eating it with a spoon and then slathered it on Wheat Thins and sent it out to the teens.

Recipe

Use a 6 quart crock pot for this recipe. This was enough to fill eleven half pint jars with enough left over for immediate family snacking.You can also halve the recipe and use a smaller crock pot.

Ingredients:

2 29 oz cans pumpkin (or you can use fresh pumpkin puree)
4 cups white sugar
4 cups dark brown sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
8 tsp fresh ginger, peeled, grated (about a 3-4 inch finger of ginger)
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Spray crock with no stick spray. (I lined mine with a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner and sprayed it) Combine all ingredients in crock-pot and stir to mix well. Cook on high for 3 hours, stirring occasionally (do not let it burn or stick) or else cook on low for 5 hours and don't worry about stirring. (that's what I did) If the desired consistency has not been reached, then lift lid and let it cook down on high. It thickens as it cooks.

After it is done, fill 1/2 pint jars and seal.

Pumpkin Butter for Pumpkin Bread:

Use any standard Banana Bread recipe and substitute a 1/2 pint pumpkin butter for the banana.

Pumpkin Butter for 2 Pumpkin Pies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pints pumpkin butter
2 eggs
1 12oz can evaporated milk, or cream or combination of sour cream and cream
2 pie shells

Mix all together and pour into

2 pie shells

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes or until done.

Ravioli

2009-10-30T06:23:00.000-07:00

It's time once again for Thursday family Grey's Anatomy bonding night. Everyone has a jam packed schedule. My car is in the shop, family is helping with car related logistics, a kid has across town tutoring, a teenager has a mid-afternoon football game, teens need shuttling to social events, adult jobs still need working, and Grey's needs watching. What a crock! This meal is the perfect solution. It starts with 2 bags frozen ravioli, 2 jars uncomplicated marinara sauce, and bagged shredded Mozzarella (all on sale).

The beauty of this dish: It requires short cuts and simplicity. Complicating it will only result in disaster. It's true. Fancier sauces turn the ravioli to mush. Fresh ravioli won't work, only frozen. The optional saute step, is really optional (but it does makes things better, and only takes 10 minutes).

Winner Loser or Meh

This was very good. Everyone was happy. It will go in the winner category because it is simple and can hang out in a warm crock for hours while people come and go and get a bowl. This is perfect casual buffet fare.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this. You can halve this and use a smaller crock, too.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil (optional)
1 medium onion, peeled, diced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced (you can use jarred) (optional)
2 tsp dried Italian seasonings, or 2 Tbls fresh (I used dried) (optional)
8 oz can tomato sauce (optional)
3/4 cup red wine (I used the last of the Trader Joes 2 buck Chuck Merlot) (optional, but after this day, maybe not)
2 26-28 oz jars marinara sauce (the simpler the better, just get one you like)
2 pounds frozen small or medium ravioli, must be frozen. (I used Lucca's and Rosetti's)
2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Italian hard cheese blend, grated or Parmesan cheese, grated

In a large no stick skillet heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until tender. Add seasoning, tomato sauce, wine and marinara sauce. Stir, remove from heat. Spray crock with no stick spray. Ladle a layer of sauce on the bottom of the crock to prevent sticking. Layer 1/4 the frozen ravioli, 1/4 the sauce, and 1/4 the cheese. Repeat 3 times. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Pumpkin Dump Cake

2009-10-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

Get ready to turn into a pumpkin. Pumpkin puree, a super food, low in calories, loaded with heart healthy potassium, and a rich source of skin brightening eye sharpening beta carotene is free! Sort of. Someone dumped 3 giant cans on my couch, and declared them up for grabs. I grabbed. For the rest of you, giant cans of pumpkin puree are on super sale everywhere right now. (Hint: Winco, less than $2).

Mission: Use the crock, sugar, and fat to counteract all this free healthy goodness and trick others into eating a 'healthy' treat. Our first trick and treat: Pumpkin Dump Cake. This tricky treat has one more step than a typical lazy dump cake, involving whisking and stirring a few ingredients in a bowl. It's worth it.

Winner, Lower or Meh

Yummy, warm, comforting. Basically, a pumpkin pie, pudding, custard, crumble all rolled into one. See!

I served this to family late last night, warm, with whipped cream. No one complained. This makes a lot and leftovers would be delicious, cold, for breakfast. I'm about to have some right now. This is wonderful cold! Tastes like a rich pumpkin pie.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 Tbls molasses
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
3-4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice or to taste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup brandy (optional, thanks Jan)
1 29 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 boxed spice or carrot cake mix (I used carrot cake on sale for .88)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup butter, melted

Spray crock with no stick spray. In a large bowl, whisk first 8 ingredients together. Add pumpkin puree and stir to mix well. Dump in the crock. Pour cake mix over the top and spread evenly. Sprinkle nuts on top, evenly. Drizzle butter evenly over the top. Take a clean dish towel or several paper towels and cover top of crock at the rim. Cover and pull the edges of the towel taught and into the top center of the crock to serve as a moisture wick and improve texture. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6. (I cooked mine for 3)

Eggplant Parmesan

2009-10-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

Break open the Chianti and turn up Dino, because we mangia mangia in Italia twice this week. Food Maxx and Foods Co. made offers which could not be refused. Foods Co. had giant eggplants for $.57 a pound, Food Maxx had quality jarred pasta sauce for $.88, and shredded bagged Mozzarella for $1.35. I got 3 of everything. With prices like these, that's amore!

More time was spent on this crock than usual. Eggplant was salted, drained, battered and fried. Claims of my Italian heritage and the need for authenticity might impress you, but the reality of the added labors had more to do with Catholic guilt over not wasting eggs very close to their end date than any ethnic pride. Besides, everyone knows no self respecting Italian uses jarred sauce and pre-shredded bagged Mozzarella.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Bravo! On second thought: Brava! Afterall, this is an "egg"plant and I am a woman. Wonderful, wonderful. The unintended vino really added lovely depth of flavor. I will make this again and always with the wine. If you want to start this in the morning, before work, use a plug in lamp timer from the hardware store. Turn the crock on low when you leave, but set the timer to turn on in the afternoon. You will come home to a lovely hot meal and wonderful smells. I did.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this.

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants, unpeeled, ends removed, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
3 Tbls flour (I used the last of organic whole wheat from Winco, gluten free peeps can use other flours)
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used Winco bulk bin, gluten free peeps can use other crumbs)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I had about this much left over of Italian 3 cheese blend, so I used it instead)
32 oz marinara sauce (the sale jars were only 26 oz, so I mixed in some old tomato paste that needed using and a generous splash of left over Merlot that needed using)
12 oz Mozzarella cheese, grated (3 cups)
olive oil

Place eggplant rounds in a bowl in layers and salt each layer. Add cool water and let stand 30 minutes to drain bitterness. Dry with hand towel or paper towels. Heat oil in no stick skillet over medium high heat. In a flat bowl, mix eggs, flour and water. Dip eggplant slices in mixture, letting excess drip off. Saute eggplant, in batches until brown on both sides. In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese.

Spray crock with no stick spray. Spread a small layer of marinara sauce on the bottom evenly to avoid sticking. Layer 1/4 the eggplant, top with 1/4 of the crumbs, 1/4 of the marinara sauce and 1/4 of the Mozzarella cheese. Keep the cheese at least a 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the edge of the crock to prevent sticking. Repeat to make four layers of eggplant, crumbs, sauce and cheese. Cover. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Let cool a bit before serving so that the dish remains firm.

Hummus

2009-10-27T04:25:00.000-07:00

Store bought hummus? Forget about it. Hummus is cheap and easy to make with the crock. Sure it takes time, but most of it doesn't involve you! This recipe makes over a quart of delicious hummus, which keeps for a week in a sealed container in the fridge.

Yes, you can save time by using canned garbanzo beans (chick peas), and ditching the crock. It won't taste as good and will cost more. This recipe requires nearly 2 cans worth of beans. I bought my dried chickpeas from the Winco bulk bins for .19 cents.

My grocery store sells Sabra 7 oz hummus for $2.69. This recipe makes 4 times as much. Total cost for all batch ingredients $3.60. Personal time spent making, storing, cleaning up and putting everything away, about 20 minutes. Sabra and the store is charging $21.48 an hour to make this for you. Even if you ditch the crock, make this with garbanzos from a can, Sabra and the store are charging you $15.48 an hour to make this. Do the math. Then go make yummy hummus.

Winner, Loser, or Meh

This is delicious! Nutty flavor. Better than most store bought and restaurant hummus. It was divine after it sat overnight in the fridge while the flavors blended and softened. This version is tahini rich, to save more money, you can cut back on the tahini by about 1/4 and it will still taste delicious.

Warning/Orange Alert: To keep hummus from becoming a Hamas event, use jarred garlic or Roasted Garlic instead of fresh garlic cloves. Why? Every once in a while a bitter fresh garlic clove ruins everything.

Recipe

I used a 2 quart crock pot for this. You can use a larger crock pot by putting a smaller oven safe container into the large crock pot and putting the water and chickpeas in it.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, rinsed, and soaked overnight covered in 3 inches water in the crock
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
4 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed. (I used a combination of Christopher's jarred pureed and fresh)
3/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste - in peanut butter aisle)
1 lemon, juiced, and more to taste
1 lime, juiced (I only had one lemon and needed more, so his is what I used)
paprika, cayenne, chili powder or sumac to sprinkle on top - your choice.
2 Tbls chopped parsley (optional, I had some laying around)
Olive oil (flavored or plain) to drizzle on top

Rinse and drain the soaked chickpeas. Put back in crock, add water to rise 3 inches above chick peas, add 1/2 the salt. Cover and cook on HIGH until they are soft and tender. This takes about 12 hours. (mine took 3 hours longer because I only soaked the chick peas for 4 hours instead of over night). You will know the chickpeas are done when they are soft, all the way to the center, hold their shape, but can be mashed. Drain the liquid from the chickpeas and reserve it. Let the chickpeas cool.

Add garlic and salt to a food processor and process to mince the garlic. While the processor is running, add the tahini, then the lemon and/or lime juice until it changes color and forms a contracted doughy like lump. Add one-half cup reserved cooking water and process until completely smooth. Add the chickpeas to the processor with the paste mixture and process until smooth. Don't be afraid to let the processor run for a while. Thin to desired consistency with reserved chickpea liquid. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice. Serve, sprinkled with spices and parsley. Make a well or two with the back of a spoon and drizzle with olive oil.

Apple Butter

2009-10-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

Allow me to share with you a small 24 hour glimpse into the grueling Saturday life of this Vegetarian Slow Cooker. Life in the slow lane is not for everyone. So buckle up and take notes.

10:00 PM Cut up apples and dump in crock with sugar. Remember not to turn it on.

10:10 PM Watch missed episode of Project Runway. File nails. Check email. Squish cellulite. Brush teeth. 11:08 PM Go to bed and stare at ceiling for several hours. 8:00 AM Wake up.

8:01 AM Add a few spices to crock and (this was really hard) turn it ON.

8:03 AM Go back to bed. 12:00 PM Wake up to the smell of cinnamon apples. Nuke a bowl of soup. Take shower. Change clothes. 12:30 PM Read multi-page flame war on internet bulletin bored/board and the 4 hyperlinks to previous related flame wars. Read a strange blog. Wonder with righteous indignation where these people get the time to engage in such wasteful activities on the internet. Secretly know that their homes must be pigsties. Think about dusting. 3:38 PM Take a nap.

4:45 PM Wake up. Grab stored Balsamic Caramelized Onions with Raisins and Pine Nuts, Chevre, and an apple from fridge. Head over to Mrs. "Tree Beard's" house. 5:00 PM Hang out at Mrs "TreeBeards". 5:30 PM Assemble pizza & bake it. Take pictures of pizza and eat it. 6:10 PM Talk about strange people who have no life.7:00 PM Drive home.

7:15 PM Take lid off crock pot and turn up heat.

7:16 PM Return an email.Write about my adventures with Mrs "Treebeard" and upload photos, while snacking. Think about making the bed. Decide to lie in it instead.

8:30 PM Turn off crock pot, start two pots of water on stove. 8:32 PM Lie down and rest.

9:00 PM Grab box of canning jars and canning tools. Wash jars, lids, other implements and toss in hot water. Use an immersion blender to blend contents of crock. Wash immersion blender and put away. 9:06 PM Pour apple butter into clean jars and put on lids. Put jars of apple butter in boiling water on stove. Wash and dry all dishes, wipe down counters, put dishes away, sweep the floor, look at side reflection in window, consider a new hairstyle. Stand around for 4 minutes, bored. 9:25 PM Remove apple butter from hot water bath. Take pictures of finished apple butter. 9:30 PM Butter some bread, slather with apple butter that didn't fit in the jars and share with other house mates. Thank God that tomorrow is the sabbath and a day of rest.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This is great. A true winner. Worth all the back breaking effort. Wipes sweat from brow. Note: It is very important to keep the apples unpeeled. The pectin in the skin is what makes the apple butter firm up.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this. This makes 4 pints of Apple Butter.I used 8 1/2 pint jars.

Ingredients:

6 pounds tart cooking apples, cored, chopped, unpeeled (I used Fujii's and Granny Smith's -organic)
3 1/2 cups sugar or combination sugar and brown sugar (I used 3 cups sugar, organic pure cane and 1/2 cup dark brown sugar)
3 tsps cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt

Spray crock with no stick cooking spray. Layer apples and sugar. Cover and let sit all day at room temperature, or overnight. The apples will have reduced in size and there will be a pool of apple juice at the bottom. Add spices, stir. Cover and cook on low for 9-11 hours. Remove lid and cook on high for 1 hour or more until the apple butter is dark and getting thick. Use an immersion blender to blend smooth. It becomes thicker when refrigerated.

This makes about 4 pints and then some. That which will not be used immediately, may be canned, and processed in a hot water bath for shelf storage. This also freezes well.

Balsamic Caramelized Onions with Raisins & Pine Nuts

2009-10-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

This wonderful madness is a version of Stephanie O'Dea's crock pot adaptation of Cooking Light's January 2008 Sweet & Sour Caramelized Onions. After eating the pictured bowlful, there is about a pint of oozing gooey deliciousness left. Suddenly, I have a vision of a pizza made with caramelized onions, goat cheese, basil, and apples or pears all drizzled with the balsamic sauce. There is no oven. Even if there is an oven, who has the energy to make a batch of bread machine pizza dough? Not me. (Note: for complete sensory emotional impact start humming "That's What Friend's are For" now.)

"The Vision"

Here's to you, Mrs. "TreeBeard"

Mr. "TreeBeard" (his chosen user name) and friends are still at Nerd Fest imagining they are being "harrassed" (sic) by women of science everywhere who desire their "essense" (sic). Mrs. "TreeBeard", blissfully alone with the children for the last 3 days, has mentioned, at least 3 times, that she loves caramelized onions. She has an oven, a bread machine, fresh garden basil, very cool canning implements and a wicked cardamon pod stash. Hmmmm... Cardamon and canning tools are needed later this week... but I digress. Calls are made. I arrive with the onions, a leftover Fujii apple, and an 8 oz log of Chevre. I leave satisfied, tummy full of pizza, with a bag of cardamon pods and some much needed canning implements. Now, that's what friends are for.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Too.Good.For.Words. Don't think this will stop me. Here are some words. Fabulous! These are great all by themselves, as a holiday side dish, or as a pizza topping. If you don't have the time, energy, or any friends who can help you with pizza, don't worry. Just make yourself a little appetizer of these onions over goat cheese and Roasted Garlic slathered crostini. I'm noshing on some right now.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock pot for this, but anything 4 quarts or more will work.

Ingredients:

2 large Vidalia onions (or other sweet onion), peeled, chopped into 1/8ths OR 30 oz pearl onions, end chopped, peeled (this takes more time than any self respecting crack pot crock potter can handle, so just use the Vidalias)
2 Tbls balsamic vinegar
1 Tbls sugar
1/4 tsp salt (I used Kosher)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbls butter
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup raisins

Dump it all in the crock, stir. Cover. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8. Stir every hour or so. (I did mine on high for 4 hours.)

Mushroom Barley Stoup

2009-10-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

Mother Unit sent in yet another "must make this into a crock pot version" stove top recipe. So far, she has not been wrong, yet. The original stove top version had more steps than an episode of Dancing with the Stars. I needed a nap after reading it. In my universe, anything with that many steps is either a crock in the making or it will never get made. So this is my crock pot adaption of Cynthia's stove top adaptation of Rhona Stoneback's Best Mushroom Barley Soup. This adaptation has only two steps and requires no rhythm. Any naps are entirely optional and most certainly not needed. Promise.

Winner, Loser or Meh

Hearty, flavorful, and stoupy thick. It tastes high calorie and it is not. This was so good I did a two step in my kitchen after the first bite. With this performance, I don't think I will get voted off this week. Winner!

Recipe

I used a 4 quart crock for this but anything 4 quart or above would work.

Ingredients

1 cup raw pearl barley, rinsed, drained
7 cups vegetable stock (boxed is okay, too, just watch the salt)
1 tsp salt (watch the salt if your stock has sodium, mine doesn't)
generous amount of ground pepper
3-4 Tbls dry sherry (I used 4)
3-4 Tbls soy sauce (I used 4)
3 Tbls butter or oil (I used butter)
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used Christopher's jarred)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled, diced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced and diced (I used brown)

Place the first 6 ingredients in the crock pot. Using a large no stick skillet heat the butter or oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened. Add mushrooms and saute until moist and they begin to give up their liquid. Pour this mixture and all liquid into the crock. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Pineapple Cherry Upside Down Dump Cake

2009-10-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday night dessert time. I already know this will be sweet, unhealthy, trashy, and cheap. I can think of no better compliment for tonight's organic, healthy, soupy, World Famous (no longer), Black Bean Chili. Any mother will appreciate the nutritional thoughtfulness of dinner, and all children in attendance will forgive me for it because I brought this for dessert.

For those of you too healthy to have experienced a classic non crock dump cake, let me explain the concept. Beginning with a greased cake pan, dump in any canned fruit fillings, dump any boxed cake mix on top, dump butter chunks on top of that, bake and voila! The "voila" part is optional, however it does make things all French and stuff, so it must make it taste better, too. The concept is identical in a crock. It just takes longer to cook.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was delightfully wonderful. Easy and cheap, too. Don't expect it to be a real cake, it isn't supposed to be. It is like a crumble or a crisp. Major winner.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this.

Ingredients:

1 can crushed pineapple (.78)
1 20 oz can cherry pie filling (I used "lite" on sale for 1.98)
1 yellow boxed cake mix (on sale for .88)
1/2 cup butter (my stick of butter was about .50) or margarine for vegans

Spray crock with no stick spray. Dump canned pineapple in crock, smooth evenly. Repeat with cherries. Repeat with cake mix. (Do not stir this) Cut butter into slices and dot them evenly on top so that the surface is covered. Take a few paper towels or a small cloth towel (I used a towel) and put over top of crock. Cover and pull towel taught and bring all edges into the center of the lid so as not to touch any heating element. (This is optional, but serves as a moisture wick for better texture). Cook on high for 2-3 hours. Serve.

Black Bean Chili -Tassajara Greens (Not)

2009-10-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

The Greens restaurant in San Francisco is world famous. They have served organic, locally grown, delicious vegetarian fare decades before such things were considered hip or PC. Their produce is grown at the Tassajara Zen Center's Green Gulch Farm. The Black Bean Chili is considered a masterpiece. The Greens' Chili recipe, inspired a crock pot conversion in Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook, which I have slightly tweaked.

I won't lie. This is step intensive and takes some time. Remarkable, considering this involves me and a crock pot. So why bother? It's cheap and it's Thursday family bonding night. This week, two families are being switched (potentially combined) while the men are off having giddy adventures at an annual nerd convention. Envision middle aged men wearing geeky goofy science T-shirts, making obscure big bang theory puns, while downing shots of Jack Daniels, and giggling like teenage boys. All wives are secure in the knowledge that no woman would consider seducing them and confident that their husbands wouldn't notice even if one tried. This dinner is for all weekend science widows and the children, left behind. They deserve it.

Winner, Loser or Meh

I am not so sure they deserved this. This is just okay, more of a soup than a real chili. It is not like a soup when served at Greens. I think the converted recipe called for too much water over the beans for the first round of cooking. I even put the whole batch on the stove and cooked it down for another hour and I still couldn't get this to a true chili consistency.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this. It makes a lot.

1 pound dried black turtle beans, picked of stones etc, soaked overnight in water, in crock, to cover.
1 bay leaf
1 Tbls plus 1 tsp ancho chili powder (sold in cheap bags in Hispanic sections of US western markets)
2 tsp New Mexican hot chili powder (sold in cheap bags in Hispanic sections of US western markets)
Tbls cumin seeds
2 tsps paprika
1/2 tsps cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried marjoram or oregano (I used marjoram)
3 Tbls olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled, chopped fine
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic chopped or 4 tsp jarred (I used Christopher's jarred)
1 Tbls plus 1 tsp canned jarred chipotle chili in adobo sauce (sold cheap in Hispanic sections of US western markets - I used some from my friend's fridge stash)
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
1 Tbls rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Muenster cheese, shredded for serving
Sour cream, for serving (I used light)
chopped cilantro, for serving

Discard water from the soaked beans. Add chili powders and bay leaf, cover with water, 3 inches above beans. (This should have been much much less water) Cook on high until slightly tender, about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. (after this I put mine in the fridge for 24 hours, but you can just keep going if you want).

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add cumin seeds, paprika, cayenne, and marjoram. Stir while toasting. Wait for a fragrance to come up from the pan and look for the seeds to be darker. Put in small bowl, and use a spoon bottom against sides and bottom of bowl to mash spices into a coarse powder. (You could use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, but I don't have one)

Heat the oil in the skillet and saute the onion, green pepper, and garlic until soft and starting to brown. Add coarse ground spices. Stir. Pour skillet contents into crock along with chopped chipotle chili and stir. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Add tomatoes and salt, cook uncovered on low for another 1-2 hours. At the end, add cilantro. Stir. Serve.

To serve: Put cheese in bottom of bowls, add a scoop of finished chili, top with sour cream & cilantro.

Chai Latte Concentrate - Oregon Chai Copycat

2009-10-21T03:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, was a work related stress festival. Today was busy squared. It called for crock pot lite. How hard could it be to dump spices and water in a crock, let it rip all day, add tea bags, and end up with Chai? Confession: I have never had Chai.

A Mother Unit loves Chai. She loves one brand so much that Offspring Units and Father Unit go on serious shopping expeditions to find the best deal on Oregon Chai Latte Concentrate (OCC). I Google in vain to find a basic OCC spice list. Other official crock pot Chai latte recipes are found, one by a published author. No one raves about these. Even published author admits hers is lousy. Every crock recipe found has milk and tea in prolonged simmers. I roll my eyes. Tea gets bitter when it steeps too long, and milk in the crock is a major cooking foul. Even I know this.

Research continues. Several conventional non-crock recipes are found. Each has different spices. No liquid to spice ratios are similar. A recipe by user name: "snob guy" is selected. Ingredients are located and tossed in crock. Assembly: Less than 2 minutes. Research: More than 3 hours. Frenzied working to meet a real job deadline occurs because of time lost spinning wheels over Chai recipes. Hours later, during conversation with Mother Unit, the Chai project is mentioned. OCC research attempts are casually recounted. Mother Unit says, "Oh, I have that recipe."

Silence.

An email forward is received with "Paul's" purported OCC copycat recipe. A comparison reveals "snob guy's" is not even close. "Paul's" copycat recipe is cheaper and simpler (if that is even possible). The universal appeal of OCC is immediately apparent: Honey Sugar Baby Palooza! More Chai is started in another crock. A 24 hour market receives a crazy sum for a box of OCC to be used in comparison taste tests. Hours later, there is a taste test. Spot on.

Tomorrow I will hunt, shoot, dress out, and butcher a buck. I will make Venison Wellington with puff pastry made from scratch. Dessert will include hand crafted spun sugar bird nests inhabited by assorted varieties of wild birds fashioned from homemade marzipan, air brushed for detail. Tomorrow compared to today will be "lite".

Winner, Loser, or Meh

If you love Oregon Chai Latte Concentrate, you are going to love this. If you love to save money, you are going to love this. I love this. It's my new favorite drink for the winter.

My cost per quart: $1.46.
OCC Walmart cost per quart: $3.25
OCC 24 hour grocery store cost per quart: $4.25

Note: My spices are alphabetized. My pantry is very organized. It saves serious time. Always.

Personal time spent assembling, straining, doing dishes, and storing batch: 10 minutes (actually less).
How much is Walmart and OCC charging to provide boxed convenience: $10.86 per hour.
How much is 24 hour grocer and OCC charging to provide boxed convenience: $16.86 per hour

Recipe:

I used a 1 1/2 quart crock pot for this

Ingredients:

4 1 1/2 inch slices fresh peeled ginger, use vegetable peeler for the slices.
2 2 inch cinnamon sticks (I get mine in bulk bins)
8 whole cloves (I get mine in bulk bins)
15-20 green cardamon pods or 2 heaping demitasse spoons powdered cardamon (I used pods from bulk)
2 6 inch vanilla beans, cut into 1 inch pieces OR 2 cap fulls non alcohol vanilla extract (I used extract & 1/2 a very ancient dried petrified vanilla bean )
10 twists nutmeg mill or 2 dashes of nutmeg (I used nutmeg mill)
2 Tbsps sugar, heaping (I used organic pure cane)
1/2 cup honey (I used organic clover)
4 cups water
6 Bigelow Darjeeling Blend tea bags, or other black tea bag (I used Tetley Decaf - Do I sound like a woman who needs more caffeine?)

Put everything except the tea bags into the crock pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours (I cooked for 3 1/2 hours on high). After long simmer, if heat is not on high turn to high. Add tea bags. Let steep for 5-10 minutes. Remove tea bags and press with spoon to get all water out. Pour crock contents over strainer into 1 quart resealable beverage container. Add water to make 1 quart. This will get you what comes in the box pictured above. Serve (see below) or store in fridge.

Milk, full fat, 2%, 1% or soy, whatever turns you on (I used organic 1%)

To make iced or hot Chai Latte, add equal parts concentrate to milk and serve over ice or heat in microwave or use conventional steamer.

Brown Basmati Rice

2009-10-20T03:51:00.000-07:00

Time for a crock o' rice! I'm starting with brown Basmati rice. We'll do other rice later. There is loads of yummy Cream of Mushroom Soup, Thai Tofu Vegetable Curry, and the famous Tassajara Greens Black Bean Chili is scheduled for Thursday's family bonding night. All things made even better with rice.

I used a crock rice chart for this. I posted it in a "Tips" entry. I dusted off the old single setting 1 1/2 quart crock and tried the smallest amount first. If it tanks, not as much to chuck. If it works, I have 4 single serving meals worth of rice. The small crock insert fits nicely in the fridge. No dishes until it is all gone!

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was not terrible. It was great the next morning out of the fridge. I will not be a snob about making rice like this. I will be a snob about serving it to company. I have read horror stories about crock rice. The common plot involves gummy sticky on the outside, still crunchy on the inside. I got a tiny bit of gummy, and chewy on the inside. This took 3 hours, not 2 1/2 as called for in the recipe.

I served it with a scoop of Cream of Mushroom Soup and salt and pepper. No complaints.

Recipe

I used a single setting 1 1/2 quart crock pot for this. It's only setting is high.
See Tips: White & Brown Rice - Unconverted

Ingredients

1 cup unconverted brown Basmati Rice, rinsed (I used organic from the bulk bins at Winco)
2 cups water (you could also use broth)
1 Tbls butter (you could also use oil)

Dump it all in the crock. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve.

Tips: White & Brown Rice - Unconverted

2009-10-20T01:01:00.000-07:00

If you don't have a rice cooker, stove, or time to make stove rice, you are supposed to be able to make it in the crock. Alleged advantages to crock rice are one pot cooking and storage. Below is a chart and below that will be links to experiments testing the chart.

Risotto is made with aborrio rice, which is a very unique rice grain. You can make fabulous risotto in the crock, but the chart below does not apply to it. There will be a separate risotto tip section, when I start to feature risotto dishes throughout the year.

Here is a conventional table from a well known crock cook book for cooking unconverted rice in the crock. Brown rice is supposed to do better. According to the author, white rice may (or may not depending on the grain) become gummy or mushy. Slow cooked rice requires less water than regular rice cooking methods because there is less evaporation. The butter/oil keeps the grains from sticking together if it is a non sticky grain of rice.

Note: This chart may need adjusting for times or liquids depending on what brand and size of crock you have. The chart is simply a starting point. I will blog about my adventures with rice to confirm or deny the validity of this standard chart.

White Rice

1 cup rice + 1 3/4 cups water or stock + 1 Tbls butter/oil @ 1 1/2 hours high = 4 servings
2 cups rice + 3 1/3 cups water or stock + 2 Tbls butter/oil @ 2 hours high = 8 servings
3 cups rice + 4 1/4 cups water or stock + 3 Tbls butter/oil @ 2 1/4 hours high = 12 servings

Brown Rice

1 cup rice + 2 cups water or stock + 1 Tbl butter/oil @ 2 1/2 hours high = 4 servings
2 cups rice + 3 2/3 cups water or stock + 2 Tbl butter/oil @ 3 hours high = 8 servings
3 cups rice + 4 3/4 cups water or stock + 3 Tbl butter/oil @ 3 3/4 high = 12 servings

Photo from the Golden Rice Project.

Blog Rice Results to Date:

Attempt 1: Brown Basmati Rice
Attempt 2: White Pearl Rice (Sticky Rice)
Attempt 3 Brown Pearl Rice
Attempt 4 White Basmati Rice

Thai Tofu Vegetable Curry

2009-10-19T01:59:00.000-07:00

I'm not really a glutton for punishment. I swear. So you ask: Why attempt a modification of yet another chicken based Rachael Ray slow cooker curry just because another published cooking author swears it works with tofu? Because I bought all the ingredients for both recipes at the same time. (See previous Indian Tofu Curry debacle). Thanks to Debbie Meyer Green Bags, all produce is still looking good nine days later. If this is an epic fail, there are plenty of darling alarmed Thai baby pictures I can share.

Knowing the last curry recipe was beyond bland, I ramped up the spices significantly, swapped out a yam for a sweet potato, and crisped the tofu first so it wouldn't suck up all flavor, leaving nothing for the veggies. The tofu crisping step wasn't a big effort. It sizzled away while I washed, chopped, and stirred everything else.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This is good. At first I thought it was just OK. That was three small bowls ago. Burps. Wipes mouth. I didn't wait to make rice and add all the optional serving items to it. I just wanted another bowl. This will be lunch all week, with the optional serving items A house guest (not mine) came out of her room, smelled it, and wanted some. She is smiling, too. I'll make this again.

It's easier than it looks. I cooked it for 3 hours on high. I like veggies to taste like they were stir fried.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock for this.
See Tips: Crisping Tofu

Ingredients

1 package extra firm tofu, cut into cubes, pressed of fluid, dried (I used Trader Joe's Organic)
2 Tbls peanut oil
1 Tbl cornstarch
1 13.5-oz can coconut milk (not lite)
2 Tbls brown sugar
2 Tbls soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced ( I used Christopher's jarred)
1 inch ginger, peeled minced
2 Tbls Thai red or green chili paste, more or less to taste (I used red and this amount was very mild)
1 yellow onion, peeled, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, chopped
1/2 large eggplant, unpeeled, chopped
1 yam (not a regular sweet potato), peeled chopped

Optional serving accompaniments

White rice
1 lime, cut into wedges, to garnish
2 scallions, thinly sliced, to garnish
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, to garnish
1/2 cup chopped basil, to garnish

Heat oil in a large no stick skillet over medium high heat. Take dried, pressed, tofu cubes and place in Ziplock bag with cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly. Place tofu into skillet and allow one side to get a brown crust (do not turn, until brown, this will take 10 minutes per side, at least).

While the tofu is cooking, stir coconut milk, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and chili paste, into the bottom of the crock. Adjust seasonings to taste. While tofu is cooking wash and cut all vegetables. Then add the browned tofu pieces to the crock sauce to coat them. Add vegetables to the top. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. This is done when the vegetables have reached desired tenderness.

Tips: Crisp Tofu

2009-10-19T00:21:00.000-07:00

For crisp on the outside, smooth on the inside tofu, use the following technique.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 lb block extra firm tofu (I use Trader Joe's Organic - nothing else have been even close)
1 Tbls corn starch
2 Tbls butter, or oil

Cube the tofu or slice tofu into 1/4 inch slices. Wrap them in a towel or paper towels in a single layer. Put flat item on top of the towel to cover. Weight this down with cans, or something else from the pantry for about on hour. Put tofu and cornstarch into a quart sized zip lock bag. Shake until tofu is evenly coated with cornstarch. Heat skillet with oil or butter over medium high heat. Fry tofu until each side is nicely brown. This will take some time, about 20-25 minutes to brown both sides. Do not turn the tofu until each side is well browned.