The Vegetarian Slow Cooker
“To me, there’s more to using a slow cooker than just putting food on the table. In my opinion, the meals it allows you to prepare nourish both body and soul. There are few experiences more pleasurable than coming home to be greeted by the appetizing aroma of a meal simmering in the kitchen.”
Judith Finlayson
I love using a slow cooker, especially on a family beach vacation.
Who wants to be the one getting dinner ready in the condo while everyone else is living it up on the beach? Not me!
I have been vegetarian for 15 years, and the majority of slow cooker recipe books are very meat-centric. In the past I have made my own changes to regular carnivore recipes to vegetarianise them, but now I have The Vegetarian Slow Cooker: Over 200 Delicious Recipes!
This book has a wide variety of recipes, ranging from simple to “impress the guests”.
All of the recipes are vegetarian, and more than 130 are also “vegan friendly” recipes, easily identified for quick access.
Chapters include: Bread and Breakfast, Starters and Snacks, Soups, Fondues and Savories, Mostly Veggies, Pasta and Grains, Beans, Lentils, Tempeh and Tofu, Sides, and Desserts.
I’m thinking of making the Mushroom and Artichoke Lasagna for dinner tonight.
What I appreciate about these recipes is that most of them contain "normal" ingredients. There were several that I could probably make just from things I already have in my pantry.
The most useful chapter to me is the “Mostly Veggies,” as the dishes can function as complete meals (or add a grain to round it out). I appreciate the Indian and Southeast Asian inspired dishes, as well as the good ole American “comfort food”.
The “Beans, Lentils, Tempeh, and Tofu” chapter has info about cooking dried beans in the slow cooker, something I had always wondered was possible, but never had the guts to try!
Some recipes in The Vegetarian Slow Cooker have slightly fancy ingredients like Thai curry paste or a specific kind of cheese, and would be good "special occasion" fare.
Each recipe also notes what size slow cooker the recipe is designed for. Some of them require a large (5 quart), some a medium (4 quart) and some a small (2 to 3 1/2 quarts). Personally I only have one slow cooker. Maybe I need to collect them all!
Recipes for things like quiche and flan involve putting the food in a baking dish or soufflé dish, then putting it in the large slow cooker and pouring in water around the dish. I haven’t ever done something like that, but it makes me feel a little nervous!
Sample recipe from The Vegetarian Slow Cooker: Over 200 Delicious Recipes!
Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Crostini
Everyone loves this tasty all-purpose hors d’oeuvre, which is both simple and elegant. It can be used as the first course to a dinner or as a party canapé.
Makes 28 crostini
Equipment: Small to medium (1-1?2 to 3-1?2 quart) slow cooker (see tips)
Food processor
8 cloves roasted garlic (see tips)
1 pound (500 g) white mushrooms, trimmed (see tips)
2 large French shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons (25 mL) oil
1?4 cup (50 mL) dry white wine or dry white vermouth (see tips)
2 tablespoons (25 mL) chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons (25 mL) heavy or whipping (35%) cream, optional
2 teaspoons (10 mL) balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
28 crostini
Crumbled soft goat cheese
To make crostini:
Preheat broiler. Brush baguette slices on both sides with olive oil and toast under broiler, turning once.
In slow cooker stoneware, combine garlic, mushrooms, shallots, oil and wine. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours, until mushrooms are soft. Drain off liquid.
Place mushroom mixture and parsley in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse until ingredients are very finely chopped but not pureed. Add cream, if using, vinegar, salt and black pepper to taste and pulse two or three times to combine.
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread mushroom mixture over crostini. Sprinkle goat cheese on top. Place on baking sheet and bake until cheese begins to brown and melt. Serve hot.
Tips:
If you haven’t planned ahead and roasted your garlic in the slow cooker, you can do it in the oven. Simply
peel the cloves, remove the pith (the center part that often sprouts), then place the cloves on a piece of foil.
Drizzle about 1?2 tsp (2 mL) olive oil over the garlic, and then fold up the foil to make a tight packet. Bake in 400°F
(200°C) oven for 20 minutes.
Leave small mushrooms whole. Cut larger ones into halves or quarters.
Keep a bottle of dry white vermouth on hand as it makes a satisfactory substitute for dry white wine. That way, you don’t have to open a bottle of wine when you need only a small quantity.
Cover and refrigerate the mushroom cooking liquid. It is a great addition to soups, stews and gravies, along with or instead of broth.
If you are halving this recipe, be sure to use a small (11?2 to 2 quart) slow cooker.
Make Ahead:
Complete Steps 1 and 2. Cover and refrigerate mixture for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to make the crostini, heat mushroom mixture almost to boiling point on the stovetop before spreading on crostini.
I can’t wait to get slow-cooking!
I received a copy of this title for review purposes.
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13 July 2010, 11:21 am
i totally need that! Every crockpot book is always “Beef nuts in gravy with diced pork leavings” or “chicken vesuvious with bacon droplets. Where are the vegetarian recipes usually? A book for _us_.. I need one of those!