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...]
Tapioca is not a pretty food, but there’s something wonderful when you bite into those mini spheres. Slightly gooey but matched with its creamy almond milky pudding it becomes the perfect texture. Straight from the fridge it’s my favorite hot afternoon snack in the summer.
In the summer the last thing I want to do is put a pot of anything on the stove. The slow cooker is the perfect answer. It doesn’t heat up your kitchen and even though the cooking time is short you don’t have to stand there waiting for it to cook. Take a walk, pick some herbs from the garden, or just make the dog happy and go on that walk around the block. It will cook without you. to recipe →
Continuing on my fancy drink exploration – this cocktail combines fresh pear with vanilla vodka and amaretto all tied together with the slightly floral flavor of cardamom.
If you can’t find any vanilla liquor you can make your own. Check on Barnivore to make sure the base vodka you use is vegan and then you just need vanilla beans and vegan sugar. It does take 2 to 3 months to make a usable liqueur, but if you start it tonight you’ll be that much closer to trying it.
Vegan Creamy Pear Cardamom Cocktail
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
Preparation:
Add all ingredients except sweetener into a blender and blend until pear is smooth. Taste and use the amount of sweetener needed. This will depend on how ripe the pear is. Blend again and serve over ice.
You can always add an additional cup of non-dairy milk if you like your drinks a little weaker.
Sometimes you need a treat. A soothing, winter treat that can warm you up. That would be me last night. It’s finally feeling like winter and it’s all too easy to get the blahs. I’m making a warm slow cooker drink or dessert every night to keep my spirits up. Feel free to use natural flavored extracts, zest, or juice in this recipe if you don’t imbibe.
This modified toddy has a Sugar Cookie tea base that has roasted barley and vanilla. The barley makes it not gluten-free. Almond Sunset would be my next choice, but they don’t make it anymore.
You could also use a vanilla or almond tea as your base instead. I like that Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Tea is caffeine free which is a requirement of mine for a night drink.
Just throw this together right before you serve dinner, and your “dessert” will be ready when you are. This is great to make for a dinner party, just tripe the recipe and use a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker.
Slow Cooker Sugar Cookie Hot Toddy for 2
**Uses a 1 1/2 to 2 quart slow cooker**
Serves 2 (double or triple as needed)
Place the teabags, water, and non-dairy milk in the slow cooker. Cook on high for about 1 to 2 hours or until hot. (You could also cook on low for about 3 hours.)
Just before serving add liquors and sweetener.
If you prefer a stronger drink you can double the amount of alcohol called for or add a shot of vanilla vodka.
I love orange flower water and once I got my hands on a bottle I was hooked. It has a very delicate, sweet, floral fragrance and a delicious taste when used sparingly. If you use too much you’ll feel like you’re eating perfume.
If you can get to a Middle Eastern Store it’s surprisingly cheap, so get yours there if you can. You can always order it online if you don’t live in the city. You can make your own if you have orange trees that aren’t sprayed. I live in North Carolina, so no orange trees for me.
** Make sure to check out my other oatmeal recipes. I have over 50 different flavors!
Slow Cooker Orange Fig Pecan Oatmeal
soy-free and gluten-free
2 to 3 servings
**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add the oats, milk, figs, and orange extract. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).
In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well and add orange flower water and sweetener. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should be a more uniform consistency. Top with the chopped pecans.
This is a Monday that I’m just not prepared for. I’ve been taking things out of cabinets, cleaning and re-organizing the kitchen all weekend. That sounds great right? I’m probably just tired but should think of that feeling of accomplishment. Except – I’m still not done and my kitchen is a little wreaked.
I hate not completing things. I hope I will get back to it this weekend, but during the week I have too many deadlines to meet.
So, I declare this oatmeal the one that will make me forget about that. The one that will soothe my soul with sweet pears and lure my senses away from my obsessiveness with the fragrances of rosewater and cardamom. The slight almond flavor will ground me so that I can start my week off just right.
Have an amazing Monday everyone!
** Make sure to check out my other oatmeal recipes. I have over 50 different flavors!
Slow Cooker Pear Rose Cardamom Cake Oatmeal
soy-free and gluten-free
2 to 3 servings
**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add all the ingredients except the sweetener. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).
In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well and add sweetener. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should be a more uniform consistency.
I think there’s something about the cooler, rainy weather, as well as the orange and red leaves that makes me crave the butterscotch-y flavor of blondies.
There’s nothing wrong with brownies, but there’s so much more you can do with blondies. They are the blank check of the dessert world in my opinion. You can go with fruits, nuts, chocolate chips and even add in oatmeal.
Of course, oatmeal that tastes like blondies is just as good in my book. The maple extract with the pecans gives it the unexpected flavor combination that allows you to fool your brain into thinking you’re having a blondie for breakfast. Yum!
Please vote for me in the Aetna Healthy Food Fight, so I can go to Atlanta and make my vegan jambalaya for the preliminary contest. It would be great to have a vegan showing there!
** Make sure to check out my other oatmeal recipes. I have over 40 different flavors!
Slow Cooker Apple Pecan Blondie Oatmeal
soy-free and gluten-free
2 to 3 servings
**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add all the ingredients except the sweetener and nuts. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).
In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well and add sweetener. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should be a more uniform consistency. Top with chopped pecans.
A big, warm welcome to all the new visitors from the Crock-Pot Facebook page!
This one is a comforting bowl of fall all in one bowl. If you don’t have maple extract just use maple syrup as your sweetener to add that maple flavor. The maple really makes you think of the autumn leaves, the pear adds a little tart and a little sweet, and the walnuts add just the right amount of crunch.
Don’t forget my Crock-Pot Confessional Video is featured today on Crock-Pot’s Facebook page. Go take a peek, get the recipe for Golden Borscht, and see my fuzzy zebra slippers as a bonus!
The video takes a while to load, but you do get to see a goofy face I’m making right off the bat. I think I may be the only vegan they asked to participate, so make sure to stop by and tell them you were excited to see a vegan recipe. See it here.
** Make sure to check out my other oatmeal recipes. I have over 40 different flavors!
Slow Cooker Maple Pear Walnut Cake Oatmeal
soy-free and gluten-free
2 to 3 servings
**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add all the ingredients except the sweetener and toppings. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).
In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well and add sweetener. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should be a more uniform consistency. Top with walnuts and a sprinkle of fresh grated nutmeg.
My aunt used to make the most wonderful applesauce cake every year in the fall. It was unbelievably moist and had the perfect blend of spices to get you in the mood to take a drive to look at the fall foliage. I love the color changes of the leaves.
This is my attempt to get close to that flavor. I added pears for a little twist (and because I have some ripe ones that need to be used).
You may not need any extra sweetener in this one if your pear is very sweet. My pear wasn’t and I wanted to get in an additional fall taste with the brown sugar.
** Make sure to check out my other oatmeal recipes. I have over 40 different flavors!
Slow Cooker Pear Applesauce Cake Oatmeal
soy-free and gluten-free
2 to 3 servings
**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add all the ingredients except the sweetener. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).
In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well and add sweetener. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should be a more uniform consistency.
I’m back on my oatmeal obsession just in time for Vegan Month of Food. I realized fall and winter will bring even more flavors into my oatmeal mix. Plus, is it really an obsession if it doesn’t raise its head every once in a while?
In case you didn’t already know this about me, I am in love with pumpkin and winter squash. They are good for you and can be used in everything from stews and casseroles to desserts and breakfast.
In the next few weeks you can look forward to some winter squash slow cooker recipes along with more delicious oatmeal flavors that are worth getting out of bed for! (There may even be pears and apples involved too.)
Happy Fall!
** Make sure to check out my other oatmeal recipes. I have over 40 different flavors!
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Coffeecake Oatmeal
soy-free and gluten-free
2 to 3 servings
**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
The night before: Mix toppings in a small container and cover until the morning. Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later (optional). Add all the ingredients except the toppings. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).
In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should be a more uniform consistency. Top with coffee cake topping.
The Virtual Vegan Potluck is over, but the virtual feast lives on!