Make It Fast, Cook It Slow (26 page)

STUFFED TOMATOES

serves
2

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Cut the core out of each tomato; this is much more difficult than I thought it would be—wear an apron. In a bowl, cream together the cheeses with the chopped garlic and basil. Stuff the cheese mixture into the cored tomatoes. Pour the ¼ cup of water into the stoneware, and nestle in the tomatoes. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 4 hours. These will not take long at all. If you overcook them a bit, it’s not the end of the world. They will just begin to lose their shape and you’ll get a stewed tomato covered with yummy cheese.

The Verdict

I ate them all. We were going out to dinner, and were meeting Adam at the restaurant. The kids already had on nice(ish) clothes and I didn’t want tomato juice on them. So I took one for the team and ate them all myself.

SWEET-AND-SOUR TOFU

serves
4

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Cut the tofu into 1-inch chunks, and place into a ziplock freezer bag with the cornstarch. Seal and shake well to coat the tofu. Pan-fry on the stovetop over medium heat in butter, resisting the urge to flip often.

While the tofu is cooking, wash and trim the vegetables and add to the stoneware. When the tofu is finished, add it also. Pour the entire bottle of sweet-and-sour sauce on top of the tofu and vegetables. Add the ½ tablespoon of water to the empty sauce jar, and shake. Pour it over the top of the contents in the crock, and toss gingerly. Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours. Your meal is ready when the vegetables have reached the desired consistency. We like the veggies to have a crunch, so I don’t let it cook very long. The broccoli was not too crisp, but the onion, bell pepper, and carrot were still al dente. Serve with rice, and add crushed red pepper flakes to the grown-up servings, if desired.

TOFU IN PEANUT SAUCE

serves
4

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Although I despise precooking things before slow cooking, tofu is best when lightly browned. I’ve found the best way is to cube it, then toss with a tablespoon or so of cornstarch in a plastic ziplock bag until well coated. Pan-fry on the stovetop over medium heat in butter, resisting the urge to flip often. Add to the slow cooker along with peanut butter, soy sauce, margarita mix, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. Fifteen minutes before serving, cram the contents of an entire bag of baby spinach inside and cover. The spinach will wilt. Serve over basmati rice.

VEGETARIAN CURRY

serves
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put garbanzo beans into the stoneware. Add the vegetables and the entire can of tomatoes. Pour in the broth, and stir in the garlic and spices. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Stir in yogurt and frozen peas 30 minutes before serving, and turn the cooker to high. Serve the curry over freshly cooked basmati rice, and have corn tortilla wedges or naan on hand for scoopers.

VEGETARIAN NO-NOODLE LASAGNA

serves
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Cut the eggplant and squash lengthwise in long slices about ¼ inch thick; no need to peel. These are going to be your noodles. Set aside.

Pour ¼ cup of the pasta sauce into the bottom of your stoneware. Layer in a few pieces of eggplant and squash. Smear some ricotta cheese on top. Add a handful of mushrooms and baby spinach, and a few slices of mozzarella cheese. Pour in some more pasta sauce. Continue layering food until your slow cooker is full and you have run out of ingredients. Top with the rest of the pasta sauce and the shredded cheese. Put the water into the empty pasta sauce jar, cover, and shake. Pour the remaining sauce on top of everything. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 8 hours. The lasagna is done when the vegetables have reached their desired tenderness and the cheese has melted. Serve with garlic bread sticks, yum!

S
low-cooked meat is marvelous—you can get a lesser-quality hunk on sale, and come home to a melt-in-your-mouth meal at the end of a long day. All of these meat meals were tested by my family, aside from the pork dishes. I am allergic to pork, and I’m uncertain if the kids are, so we didn’t eat any. Instead, I gifted any pork I made to friends and family, who reported their verdicts.

3-PACKET POT ROAST

serves
8

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Trim the roast of any visible fat and place it into the stoneware. In a small bowl, combine contents of the 3 seasoning packets. Sprinkle over the meat. Flip the meat over a few times to get it covered with the seasoning on all sides. Add about 1 cup of water. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The meat will be more tender if you cook it low and slow.

Add 2 cups of warm water to the crock, 20 to 30 minutes before eating, and increase the heat to high. The meat only needs 1 cup of water to cook properly, but the spices are too concentrated to only have 1 cup of water in the pot when it’s time to eat. Waiting to add the water until the end will help the meat retain its shape, and the added water will make a nice juicy gravy.

The Verdict

So simple and easy, and it makes awesome gravy. If you wait until the packets are on sale, and stick with chuck roast, this is a very inexpensive meal that can be stretched for a few days.

Note:
The original recipe called for a packet of beef gravy or au jus, but all of the gravies and au jus packets contain wheat starch. Please read labels carefully a few times if you avoid gluten.

A-1 AND DIJON STEAK

serves
4
to
6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Combine the A-1 sauce and Dijon mustard in a little bowl. Paint the sauce mixture on all sides of each piece of meat. Put the meat into the slow cooker. Add the wine. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve with potatoes, rice, French fries, or what your family traditionally wants to eat with steak.

The Verdict

Sometimes the easiest recipes taste the best, which can be kind of a bummer if you usually put in a lot of time and effort chopping, mixing, and tasting. The kids ate their servings eagerly—the meat was tender and tasted marvelous. I drizzled the collected crock drippings on top of rice pilaf we had as a side.

ASIAN PEANUT BUTTER PORK

serves
4

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the onion slices into the bottom of your stoneware and place the pork on top. Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, and peanut butter. No need to stir—the peanut butter needs to melt before you can do so. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 6 hours. One hour before serving, flip the meat over to allow the other side to soak up the peanut-buttery goodness. Garnish with chopped peanuts, and serve with lime wedges. Lime juice and peanut butter is a delicious combination.

The Verdict

I received this recipe from a reader who makes it monthly for a potluck gathering. The day I cooked it, I packed the meat up for my friend Stephanie and her family. When asked what she thought, she told me that she had a problem. Her husband, Bill, was home from work and ate it all, and she and the kids didn’t get to try any. I’m thinking that means he liked it.