crock-pot

Roasting in the crock-pot

Usually things end up more steamed than roasted in the crock-pot.  But there’s a way to cheat the system. The trick is using minimal water and letting it cook for a couple of hours with the lid on, then leaving it slightly ajar so the steam can escape and the veggies get nice and “roasted.” Root Veggies with Coconut Oil & Thyme [vegan, gluten free, FODMAPs friendly*] Ingredients: 3-4 cups root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, winter squash, turnips, parsnips, etc.) 2 tbsp coconut oil 1/4 cup water 1/4 tsp dried thyme salt & pepper (to taste)… Read more >

Happy Meals

I dunno if you guys want ideas but here are some of the latest and greatest (?) from the hippie kitchen.    Kale salad with candied nuts, dried cranberries & smoky lemon tahini dressing.   1 large bunch of kale, washed, de-stemmed, ripped into bite sized pieces 1/3 cup dried cranberries 1 cup candied nuts (I used almonds and pecans) Bon Appetit’s Smoky Lemon Tahini Dressing – I halved it and added 1 tbsp of both miso paste and maple syrup   Wednesday was national frozen yogurt day (uhhh, that’s a thing??) so Menchie’s was… Read more >

Crock Pot Corn Chowder

Really you don’t need a slow cooker to make this.  I just used mine because I wanted to have the option to leave the house…you know just in case I felt like going on a run or doing something active (hahahaha!).  I felt ridiculous even as I typed that…the end of this pregnancy has turned me into a sloth.  Oh how I long for the feeling of an elevated heart rate (that’s not from simply walking up a flight of stairs).  I digress…   This corn chowder was something I threw together with fridge scraps. … Read more >

Classic combination

Cornbread and chili.  It’s one of those combos that you always pair together.  Like peanut butter and jelly.  Or…I don’t know…something else.  I can’t think right now.  My brain is slow these days. It’s such comfort food.  Very appropriate for the changing season.  Christmas will be here before you know it.  And then, holy crap, it’s full on winter.  To be fair, winters in Los Angeles may as well be spring on the East Coast since it rarely dips below 50.  But I still have the heater running so that counts for something (poor insulation,… Read more >

Crafty chowder

It’s still leftover-mania around these parts. I brought home so many mashed potatoes I hardly knew what to do with them all.  There’s only so many mashed potatoes a girl can eat! And since I’m anti-waste (and all about re-purposing things into something different and new), I decided to attempt a potato based soup.  I banked on the crock-pot to help me out.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the slow cooker makes things idiot proof.  Ingredients just plain taste better after swimming for hours together in a pot.  It’s fact.  So… Read more >