Book Review: The Healthy Slow Cooker

I love my slow cooker. I use it at least once a week and some weeks it is 3 or 4 times. So when I had the opportunity to review The Healthy Slow Cooker, 2nd edition. by Judith Finlayson I jumped as the chance. And this cookbook did not disappoint.

One key thing for me to enjoy in a cookbook is when they have extra information beyond recipes. This book does that. The cookbook starts out with a chapter on using your slow cooker. Even if you have cooked with one for years sometimes you can still pick up some new information. For instance, Ms. Finlayson recommends softening your vegetables before putting them in the slow cooker. She says it will improve the quality of the dish because the browning of the veggies begins the process of carmelization, which release flavor. And it extracts the fat soluble parts of the food which also contribute to the flavor. This was news to me and something I intend to start doing when I make a crockpot meal (unless I am in a huge hurry putting it together.)

Then throughout the 135 gluten free recipes there are interspersed many small articles on different foods. Some are called Natural Wonders and the topics include things like extra virgin olive oil, butter. sweet green peas, kale, apricots, etc. The others are Mindful Morsels and include instructions like how to soak beans to prevent gas problems,  the value of curry, value of coriander seed, and many other tips.

I have tried and enjoyed several recipes from this cookbook. One thing to note is that many of the recipes (but not all) include dried beans, which makes many of these recipes very economical. If you are not someone who enjoys beans then this might not be a real winner for you, but if you want to include more of these healthy and affordable ingredients in your recipes then this is a good choice.

Below I am sharing a recipe from the cookbook (with permission) for Mixed Vegetables in Spicy Peanut Sauce.

Mixed Vegetables in Spicy Peanut Sauce

2014-07-08 16:15:04

Serves 8

Here’s one way to get kids to eat their vegetables, so long as they don’t have peanut allergies — cook them in a spicy sauce made from peanut butter and add a garnish of chopped roasted peanuts. All you need to add is some steaming rice or brown rice noodles.

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Ingredients

1. 1 tbsp olive oil 15 mL
2. 2 onions, finely chopped 2
3. 6 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 4 cups/1 L) 6
4. 4 stalks celery, diced (about 2 cups/500 mL) 4
5. 2 tbsp minced gingerroot 30 mL
6. 4 cloves garlic, minced 4
7. 1⁄2 tsp cracked black peppercorns 2 mL
8. 1 cup vegetable stock 250 mL
9. 3 cups frozen sliced green beans (see Tips) 750 mL
10. 1⁄2 cup smooth natural peanut butter 125 mL
11. 2 tbsp gluten-free reduced-sodium soy sauce 30 mL
12. 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 30 mL
13. 1 tbsp pure maple syrup 15 mL
14. 2 tsp Thai red curry paste (see Tips) 10 mL
15. 4 cups shredded napa cabbage 1 L
16. 2 cups bean sprouts 500 mL
17. 1⁄2 cup finely chopped green onions, white part only 125 mL
18. 1⁄2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts 125 mL

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes.
3. Add ginger, garlic and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
4. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware.
5. Add vegetable stock and stir well.
6. Add green beans and stir well.
7. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3 hours, until vegetables are tender.

Notes

1. Tip
2. I always have a bag of frozen green beans in the freezer because they can be conveniently added to slow cooker recipes. They contain valuable nutrients: vitamins C and K, a selection of the B vitamins, including folate, and the minerals manganese, iron and magnesium. They also contain fiber.
3. Courtesy The Healthy Slow Cooker, Second Edition by Judith Finlayson © 2014 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission.

By Judith Finlayson

Purposeful Nutrition: Healing With Food. https://www.purposefulnutrition.com/

Shared at Wellness Wednesday,  Wildcrafting Wednesday.