300 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes (52 page)

4 slices cooked bacon

1/4 large head cauliflower

1/4 medium chopped onion

1/4 cup (28 g) shredded carrot

1/3 cup (40 g) diced celery

1/4 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

If you didn't start with cooked bacon, you might microwave it. Five minutes on high would be about right in my microwave.

Cut your cauliflower into chunks no bigger than 1 inch (2.5 cm). Chop your onion, shred your carrot, and dice your celery—all that stuff.

Lay a big sheet of foil on your counter and pile all the vegetables in the middle. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over them. Crumble in the bacon. Dot with the butter. You could add a spoonful of the bacon grease, too, if you wanted.

Lay another sheet of foil on top. Roll up all the edges, making a tight packet. Drop it in your slow cooker on top of whatever is cooking. This will take 3 to 4 hours on low.

Yield:
3 to 4 servings; Assuming 4, each will have: 71 calories, 6 g fat, 2 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 1 g usable carbs.

Cheesy Cauliflower Packet

1/4 large head cauliflower

1/4 green bell pepper

1/4 onion

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

1/4 cup (30 g) shredded Cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

Cut the cauliflower into chunks no bigger than 1 inch (2.5 cm); smaller will cook faster. Dice the pepper and onion.

Lay a big sheet of foil on your counter and pile the vegetables in the middle. Dot with the butter, sprinkle on the cheese, and salt and pepper it. Lay another sheet of foil over it and roll up the edges, making a packet. Drop this into your slow cooker on top of whatever supper is cooking—two hours on low is about right.

Yield:
4 servings, each with: 67 calories, 5 g fat, 3 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 2 g usable carbs.

Chive-and-Garlic Spinach Packet

This is the easiest creamed spinach you'll ever make.

2 ounces (55 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 cup (60 g) cream cheese with chives and onions

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

Drain your spinach really well—I dump mine into a colander in the sink and then squeeze it out with clean hands.

Stir the crushed garlic into the spinach.

Take a big sheet of foil and lay it on your counter. Pile the spinach on top. Add the cream cheese, in clumps, instead of one big blob. Dot with the butter.

Lay another sheet of foil over the spinach and roll up the sides, making a tight packet. Drop on top of whatever you're cooking in the slow cooker and let it cook for 60 to 90 minutes.

Yield:
4 servings, each with: 80 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, 2 g usable carbs.

Slow Cooker Chutney

This is the slow cooker version of my
Major Gray's Chutney
recipe from
500 More Low-Carb Recipes
. It's wonderful with anything curried.

2 pounds (900 g) sliced peaches

1/3 cup (33 g) ginger root slices

1 1/2 cups (38 g) Splenda

3 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon cloves

1 1/2 cups (355 ml) cider vinegar

Guar or xanthan

Combine everything but the guar or xanthan in your slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 4 hours.

Take the lid off and let it cook for another hour to let it cook down. Thicken a bit more, if you like, and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Yield:
32 servings (1 quart total), each with: 15 calories, trace fat, trace protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 3 g usable carbs.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce

I like to have cranberry sauce on hand for those occasions when I don't want to do much cooking. It adds interest to plain roasted chicken (or even store-bought rotisseried chicken.) It's easy to do and makes plenty!

24 ounces (680 g) cranberries

1 cup (235 ml) water

2 cups (50 g) Splenda

Simply combine everything in your slow cooker and give it a stir. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 3 hours.

This won't be as syrupy as commercial cranberry sauce because of the lack of sugar. If this bothers you, you can thicken your sauce with your trusty guar or xanthan shaker, but I generally leave mine as is. This makes quite a lot, so divide it between three or four snap-top containers and store it in the freezer. This way, you'll have cranberry sauce on hand whenever you bring home a rotisseried chicken!

Yield:
Makes about 2 3/4 cups, or 22 servings of 2 tablespoons, each with: 15 calories, trace fat, trace protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 3 g usable carbs.

Cranberry Chutney

This is a cranberry sauce with a kick! It's great with anything curried or just with chicken or pork.

12 ounces (340 g) fresh cranberries

2/3 cup (16 g) Splenda—or other sugar-free sweetener to equal 2/3 cup (133 g) sugar

1/2 cup (120 ml) water

1/2 cup (120 ml) cider vinegar

6 whole allspice berries

6 whole cloves

3 cinnamon sticks

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 medium onion, diced

Guar or xanthan

Simply combine everything but the guar or xanthan in your slow cooker. Cover, set to low, and let cook for 4 hours. Then let it cool, thicken to a syrupy consistency with your guar or xanthan shaker, and store in a snap-top container in the fridge. If you're not going to use it up in a week or two, consider two or three smaller containers in the freezer.

Yield:
12 servings, each with: 51 calories, 1 g fat, 1 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate, 5 g dietary fiber, 8 g usable carbs.

Cranberry-Peach Chutney

This is seriously kicked-up from regular cranberry sauce! It's a natural with curried poultry, but try it with any simple poultry or pork dish.

12 ounces (340 g) cranberries

1 1/2 cups (255 g) diced peaches (I use unsweetened frozen peach slices, diced.)

1 clove garlic, minced

3 inches (7.5 cm) ginger root, sliced into paper-thin rounds

1 lime, sliced paper-thin

1 1/4 cups (31 g) Splenda

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon mustard seed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon orange extract

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Combine everything but the baking soda in your slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 3 hours, stirring once halfway through.

When the time's up, stir in the baking soda and keep stirring till the fizzing subsides. Store in a tightly lidded container in the fridge. If you plan to keep it for long, freezing's a good idea.

Why use baking soda? Because by neutralizing some of the acid in the cranberries, it lets you get away with less Splenda—and fewer carbs.

Yield:
Makes about 2 1/2 cups, or 20 servings of 2 tablespoons, each with: 31 calories, trace fat, trace protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 7 g usable carbs.