Healthy Eating Vegan Crock Pot or slow cooking can be so convenient and healthy. If your really busy it’s such a huge help to be able to through all ingredients together and let them cook slowly together while your out doing something else. Also many of the nutrients that may otherwise be cooked out of your food remain intact. So without further ado… Crock Pot Meal 1# Crock Pot Enchilada Quinoa PREP TIME 5 mins COOK TIME 4 hours TOTAL TIME 4 hours 5 mins Healthy, easy enchilada quinoa made right in the crock pot. Just set it and forget it for a cheesy, protein-packed meal. Author: Tiffany Recipe type: Main Dish Cuisine: Mexican Serves: 4-6 INGREDIENTS 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 15-ounce can yellow corn, drained and rinsed 2 15-ounce cans of mild or medium red enchilada sauce, divided 1 15-ounce can of diced fire roasted tomatoes and green chiles 1 cup un-cooked quinoa + ½ cup water 4 ounces cream cheese (light or fat free is okay) salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper) 1 cup shredded Mexican style cheese optional: chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, sour cream INSTRUCTIONS Add beans, corn, 1 can of enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes and chiles, quinoa, water, cream cheese, and salt and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir everything together. Pour remaining can of enchilada sauce on top, then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Cover and cook 4-5 hours on high or 5-7 hours on low. Uncover, top with tomatoes, avocados, sour cream, and chopped cilantro and serve. NOTES *For added flavor, I like to add 1 teaspoon each cumin and garlic powder. Picture source Crock Pot Meal 2# Crock Pot Smoky Sweet Potato and Chickpea Chili with Lime PREP TIME 30 mins COOK TIME 10 hours TOTAL TIME 10 hours 30 mins An easy and delicious 8-10 hour slow cooker chilli packed with chickpeas and sweet potato, and flavored with chipotle and lime. Ready when you walk in the door from work! SERVES: 8 Ingredients Chili 28 oz can of diced tomatoes 13.5 oz can of tomato sauce (400mL) ½ a 6.5 oz can of chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, with peppers chopped (this was roughly 6 chipotle peppers and 2 tbsp of adobo sauce; see note) 2 tbsp chilli powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp salt ½ cup stock 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1.5-2 inch cubes (roughly 5 cups/700g) 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 medium onions, diced 2 carrots, peeled and diced 2 19 oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed After cooking Juice of half a lime To Serve (Optional) Avocado Cilantro leaves Sour cream or Greek yogurt Tortilla chips Instructions In the base of a slow cooker, combine the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chilli powder, cumin, salt, chipotles and chicken stock. Mix with a spatula until completely combined. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix. At this point, the slow cooker insert may be refrigerated overnight, until ready to cook. Cook on lowest setting for 8-10 hours. Before serving, *gently* stir in the lime juice. Serve with avocado, cilantro, yogurt/sour cream, and tortilla chips. Notes This recipe was mildy/moderately spicy. If you enjoy spicier food (or less spicy food), feel free to adjust the chipotle peppers. Source Recipe Source Crock Pot Meal 3# Curried Chickpea and Veggies Serves 8 to 10 Adapted from Cooking Light 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 large onion, diced 2 medium red or yellow potatoes, diced 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 tablespoon) 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional 2 cups vegetable broth 2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 (10-ounce) bag baby spinach 1 cup coconut milk Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion with one teaspoon of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and another teaspoon of salt, and sauté until just translucent around the edges. Stir in the curry, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and chili and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in 1/4 cup of broth and scrape up any toasty bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer this onion-potato mixture into the bowl of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. (Halve this recipe for a smaller slow cooker.) To the slow-cooker, add the rest of the broth, chickpeas, bell pepper, cauliflower, tomatoes with their juices, the pepper, and the final teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine. The liquid should come about half way up the sides of the bowl; add more broth as necessary. Cover and cook for 4 hours on HIGH. Stir in the spinach and coconut milk. Cover with lid for a few more minutes to allow the spinach to wilt. Taste and correct the salt and other seasonings as needed. Serve on its own or over cous cous, Israeli cous cous, or orzo pasta. Recipe Notes: Smaller Slow Cookers: Cut this recipe in half for a smaller slow cooker. Dutch-Oven Version: Instead of cooking in a slow cooker, simmer the stew in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat on the stove top or in a 350°F oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the spinach and coconut milk and stir until the spinach ha wilted. Taste and add more seasonings if needed. Source Crock Pot Meal 4# Prep time 5 mins Cook time 4 hours Total time 4 hours 5 mins Author: Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche Recipe type: Main meal Yield: 2 Ingredients 600g mushrooms, diced (I left any very small ones whole, and halved or quartered larger ones) 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, halved then thinly sliced 250ml (~1 cup) vegetable stock 2tsp smoked paprika 1tbsp (heaped) sour cream Salt Black pepper 4tbsp fresh parsley, chopped Instructions Add the first five ingredients to a slow cooker, and mix well. Cook on high for 4 hours. After 4 hours, stir in the sour cream, and season to taste. Serve with a carb of your choice, topped with plenty of fresh parsley. Source Crock Pot Meal 5# Butternut Squash and Peanut Vegetarian Soup (Makes about 8 servings; recipe adapted from a soup recipe we spotted in Cooking Light, but we changed it quite a bit.) Equipment: You need about a 5-Quart Slow Cooker for this recipe, although it can be slightly smaller. Ingredients: 2 lbs. peeled and cubed butternut squash 1 cup vegetable stock (vegetable broth in a can is fine) salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 2 tsp. olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 tsp. minced garlic (minced garlic from a jar is fine) 1 tsp. minced ginger root (pureed ginger from a jar is fine) 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped 1 can (14 oz.) light Thai Coconut Milk 2 T Thai Red Curry Paste 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (without added sugar) 1 T brown sugar, Stevia in the Raw granulated sweetener, or Splenda (use Stevia or Splenda for South Beach Diet) 2 tsp. Fish Sauce (use vegan “fish sauce” for vegan version, or replace with soy sauce if you’re not a fan of fish sauce) 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro extra chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts for serving (optional) Sriracha Rooster Sauce for serving (optional) Instructions: Peel the butternut squash and cut into cubes if you’re starting with a whole squash. (Here’s How to Peel and Cut Up a Butternut Squash if you haven’t done it.) Put the squash cubes and vegetable stock into the slow cooker, season squash generously with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the squash is soft enough to mash easily. When it’s soft, use a food processor, blender, or Immersion Blender to puree the squash, being careful with the hot food. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add onion and saute until well-browned, about 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic, minced ginger, and diced red bell pepper and saute about a minute more. Then add the coconut milk, Thai Red Curry Paste, and peanut butter and heat just until the curry paste and peanut butter is melted into the coconut milk. Add the sweetener and fish sauce. Stir the coconut milk mixture into the pureed squash, turn slow cooker to low and cook for 1 hour more. Stir in the chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice and cook about 15 minutes more. Serve hot, garnished with more chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts if desired. If you’d like more heat, shake in a little Sriracha Sauce. I am assuming this freezes well. (I have some in the freezer but haven’t thawed it yet.) Source Please let us know in the comments if you’d like more of this type of recipe…
