Making dinner healthier, one slow cooker at a time.
Yesterday I posted Quinoa Jambalaya with Tempeh and today we have a Mexican variation.
You can add in extra veggies, tempeh, seitan, tofu, or something yummy from Gardein if you want. Think of this as a base and see where your creativity takes you. to recipe→
Some of you let me know you’d like to have a formula for making variations of meals. Today I’m posting a Quinoa Jambalaya with Tempeh and tomorrow I’ll be posting a Mexican Quinoa with Black Beans to illustrate that.
Both use the same amount of liquid and quinoa but the spices, protein, and veggies change. You can use this quinoa stew as a base for what’s at the farmers market right now and what spices you have on hand. to recipe→
I can’t have wheat for another month and while I can have a small amount of sugar I should avoid it too. But I have been dying for a little something sweet. So I combined a few black bean brownie recipes I’ve made before and tweaked them into something I can eat right now.
These are not the fluffy brownies of your childhood. Instead, these are more like fudge and are super moist. I lined my baking dishes with parchment paper and left the edges out so I could pull the whole thing out to cut it. They will be very hard, possibly impossible, to get out if you skip this step.
I’m adding more flavor by adding cinnamon and chili powder to make up for the removed sweetness. If you are making this for kids you should leave this out. If you can use sugar, add a few tablespoons or more agave nectar to make them sweeter.
Slow Cooker Spicy Black Bean Brownies (*gluten-free)
I used my large oval slow cooker and 2 – small 3 cup rectangle Pyrex dishes to make this recipe. Make sure the dish you plan to use fits before you start!
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 – 8 hours
The night before: Process the rolled oats in a food processor. (Or you can use instant oatmeal instead if you have it.) Remove oats and put in large mixing bowl with walnuts. Add all the other ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth. Add this mixture to the oats and mix thoroughly.
Line baking dishes with parchment paper and spoon the brownie mixture over it. You will need to pus it into the corners or you won’t have the shape you’re expecting. Cover and put then in the fridge until morning
In the morning: Take some aluminium foil and crumble it up and roll into a ring to place under the dish in the slow cooker. Then put the baking dish(es) on top of the foil ring. Place a paper towel underneath the lid to catch the condensation and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
I arranged one dish crisscrossed over the bottom one on top of the aluminum foil ring.
This soup is a great start to a dinner party. I don’t know about you, but before slow cooking I used to spend too much time in the kitchen at my parties. Using my slow cookers means I can hang out with my friends more. Now I even have enough slow cookers to make all the dishes for a dinner party!
Keep an eye out at thrift stores and yard sales to collect a few of your own. I got a Crockpot trio for my birthday this year and it’s awesome. If you live in a small apartment though, you might want to skip it. It’s pretty huge and a pain to store.
Slow Cooker Citrus Black Bean Soup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 8 hours
The night before: Put the dried beans in the slow cooker and add water until it’s about 3 or 4 inches above the beans. Cook on high overnight.
In the morning: Turn the slow cooker to low. If the beans are too watery remove some of the liquid. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for about 8 hours. Taste before serving and adjust spices as needed. Puree or not depending on your preference.
Top with more fresh cilantro and a tsp. of salsa.
Giveaway ends May 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
