Making dinner healthier, one slow cooker at a time.
You can tell when it’s getting near St. Patrick’s Day by all the green non-vegetable food that pops up. I was looking at some other redos of this minty shake and was shocked to see that many people are putting in food color to make their shakes green. I think that’s a huge missed opportunity! In my household if it’s green there are green veggies in it – and there may be some greens hidden away even if the dish is not green! [Read more...]
A Spring CSA often seems much like a Winter one. There’s a great assortment of greens, turnips, and radishes. Granted the greens and turnips are baby ones instead of the turnip I got that was as big as my head. Make life easy and turn your CSA into a quick meal by making this Potato Turnip Soup with Spring Greens Pesto. to recipe →
I love my greens and making up new ways to get my other half to eat them. Sometimes I’m successful and she even asks for more! This Collard Pesto was one of those successes. Mixed in with the soup it was a relationship that will definitely be celebrated in my house again soon.
You can serve it over pasta, on top of polenta, or swirl it in a soup. It adds a punch of citrus brightness and a beautiful green accent where ever you add it. It’s perfect to liven up your Dark Days dinners.
This pesto recipe calls for some specialty ingredients, but you can make it without them. I’ve suggested substitutions in the pesto directions.
Slow Cooker Potato Turnip Soup
Add everything except salt, pepper, and almond milk to your slow cooker. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.
Remove rosemary sprig and discard. Puree using an immersion blender. Add almond milk and blend it in. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a swirl of Collard Citrus Pesto (recipe below) on top.
Serves 4
Dark Days Collard Citrus Pesto
After you prep the greens add the water with chick’n bouillon mixed in to a saute pan. Add collards and cook on medium heat. Cook until collards are tender, but still bright green (about 10 minutes). The water will also be evaporated at this point. You can add extra water in cooking if needed.
Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until grainy or finely minced but not pureed. Add extra olive oil, water, or pumpkin puree if the mixture is too thick.
Makes 1 to 2 cups
This is a hearty, thick soup that’s chock full of green veggies. The sweet potato helps mask the taste of the broccoli and greens, so it’s a great way to sneak in some extra green veggies past your picky eaters.
Loaded with Green Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
soy-free, gluten-free
The night before: Chop sweet potato and mince garlic, then store them together in a container in the fridge overnight. Chop the greens and store separately in the fridge, because you’ll add them 1 hour before eating. If your family isn’t used to eating greens start with 1 cup and work up to 2.
In the morning: Add all ingredients except green beans, broccoli, and greens to the slow cooker. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.
One hour before serving: Add green beans, broccoli, and greens. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and herbs before serving.
Yields: 6 servings
Total Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Cooking Time: 6 to 8 hours
Greens are the perfect veggie to eat in the winter. Some people can’t deal with the bitterness. Getting my other half to eat them was a true feat. One that could have only been done with soy sauce and sesame oil.
It takes a little work to clean up a bunch of greens but you can also buy pre-washed cut greens at most groceries. At whole foods you can buy each kind separately packaged or all mixed together.
Slow Cooker Asian Greens ( *gluten-free)
Use a 1 – 2 quart slow cooker for this one – ( or multiply recipe and use larger one)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 – 8 hours
The night before: Wash and cut up the greens. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger.
In the morning: Put everything except the sesame oil in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. (Or on high for 4 hours.)
Top with sesame oil. Use chili oil for more of a kick.
There’s no such thing as too many chili recipes in my book. Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients, this is very easy to make.
My other half avoids most veggies and that’s why I mince the veggies in this recipe. You can chop them if you like the texture better and you don’t have to hide anything. Feel free to look in your fridge and add or substitute what you have for what the recipe calls for.
This recipe calls for canned beans, but you can always use some that you cooked in the slow cooker. You can even cook the beans the night before in the slow cooker if you aren’t using kidney beans (* see note below), and then add the other ingredients in the morning.
*Raw kidney beans contain a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin, which is destroyed by boiling for at least ten minutes. So kidney beans must be boiled before adding to the slow cooker. But remember you can finish them in the slow cooker after they have been boiled for 10 minutes on the stove.
Slow Cooker Loaded with Veggies Mole Chili (gluten-free)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 – 8 hours
The night before: Chop onions, pepper and mince the garlic. Go ahead and cut the squash, eggplant, mushrooms and kale.
In the morning: Add everything to the slow cooker and cook 8 hours on low.
Serve over steamed brown rice, in burritos or tacos, or just plain topped with fresh chopped cilantro.
Giveaway ends May 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
