Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook (8 page)

1. Heat the oil on a nonstick skillet. Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent and the carrots are slightly softened.
   

2. Place the sautéed vegetables, both kinds of chiles, chickpeas, adobo, and stock into a 4-quart slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low up to 9 hours.
   

3. About 30–40 minutes before serving, stir in the chicken, and cook on high.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 250 | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 1,130mg | Carbohydrates: 24g | Fiber: 4g | Protein: 24g

Fresh herbs brighten this hearty stew that has more than twice as many vegetables as meat.

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onion, parsnip, carrots, celery, garlic, potatoes, tarragon, rosemary, and beef until the ingredients begin to soften and brown. Drain off any excess fat.
   

2. Place the mixture into a 4-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour in the water. Stir. Cook for 8–9 hours on low.
   

3. Add the frozen peas and fennel. Cover and cook an additional ½ hour on high. Stir in the parsley before serving.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 340 | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 310mg | Carbohydrates: 47g | Fiber: 9g | Protein: 30g

Serve this Cajun classic over a little bit of rice.

1. In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir until the flour is golden brown. Add the pepper, garlic, onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 1 minute.
   

2. Add the mixture to a 4-quart slow cooker. Add the stock, seasoning, sausage, and tomatoes. Cook on low for 8–10 hours.
   

3. Add the okra for the last hour of cooking. Stir prior to serving.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 130 | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 680mg | Carbohydrates: 14g | Fiber: 3g | Protein: 6g

This Thai-influenced soup is wonderful when you're feeling under-the-weather. It is also a great way to use up leftover chicken and that last box of rice from Chinese takeout.

1. Place the Chicken Stock, carrots, celery, ginger, galangal root, lime juice, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in a 4-quart slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low for 7–9 hours.
   

2. Stir in the cilantro, rice, and chicken. Cook on high for 15–30 minutes. Stir prior to serving.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 210 | Fat: 4.5g | Sodium: 430mg | Carbohydrates: 23g | Fiber: 2g | Protein: 19g

This simple soup is a perfect first course at a holiday meal or as a light lunch.

1. Place all ingredients into a 4-quart slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low for 8 hours.
   

2. Use an immersion blender or blend the bisque in batches in a standard blender until smooth. Serve hot.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 110 | Fat: 0.5g | Sodium: 80mg | Carbohydrates: 21g | Fiber: 4g | Protein: 7g

Make Your Own Pumpkin Purée

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice a pie pumpkin or an “eating” pumpkin into wedges and remove the seeds. Place the wedges on a baking sheet and bake until the flesh is soft, about 40 minutes. Scoop out the flesh and allow it to cool before puréeing it in a blender.

Lots of rosemary and thyme give this surprisingly light stew a distinctive flavor.

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onion, flour, carrots, celery, garlic, potatoes, thyme, rosemary, and chicken until the chicken is white on all sides. Drain off any excess fat.
   

2. Put sautéed ingredients into a 4-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour in the water or stock. Stir. Cook for 8–9 hours on low.
   

3. Add the corn. Cover and cook an additional ½ hour on high. Stir before serving.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 260 | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 270mg | Carbohydrates: 14g | Fiber: 3g | Protein: 37g

Although it is not strictly traditional, adding dill to the matzo balls adds a fresh note to this slow-cooked soup.

1. Put the Chicken Stock, celery, carrots, parsnip, and onions into a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 6–8 hours. Add the chicken 1 hour before serving.
   

2. About 20 minutes before serving, mix the boiling water, matzo meal, egg, and dill in a large bowl until smooth. Form into 2″ balls. Drop them into the soup, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 300 | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 520mg | Carbohydrates: 39g | Fiber: 3g | Protein: 23g

Matzo Meal Facts

Matzo meal, a product similar to bread crumbs, is made from crushed matzo. While it is available year-round, it is particularly easy to find near Passover. You can make matzo meal at home by pulsing matzo (flat unleavened crackers) in a food processor until small crumbs form. It is a necessary ingredient in matzo balls and can be used as a substitute for bread crumbs in many recipes.

This Vietnamese noodle soup is easy to make in the slow cooker. Try it instead of chicken soup during cold and flu season.

1. Quickly heat the spices, ginger, and onion in a dry nonstick skillet until the seeds start to pop. The onion and ginger should look slightly caramelized. Place them in a cheesecloth packet and tie it securely.
   

2. Fill a large pot with water. Bring the water to a boil and add the beef knuckles. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and skim off the foam that rises to the surface.
   

3. Place the bones and the cheesecloth packet into a 6–7 quart slow cooker. Add the stock and fill the slow cooker with water, leaving 1″ of headroom. Cook on low for up to 10 hours or overnight. Strain off any solids. Remove the bones and the packet.
   

4. Add the sliced beef and noodles. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the beef is cooked and the noodles are tender.
   

5. Garnish each bowl with cilantro, basil, and sprouts.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 270 | Fat: 3.5g | Sodium: 110mg | Carbohydrates: 41g | Fiber: 3g | Protein: 19g

Potage is a classic French home-style soup that is perfect for a blustery winter day.

1. Place all ingredients into a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 hours.
   

2. Purée using an immersion blender or purée in batches in a blender. Serve piping hot.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 160 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 130mg | Carbohydrates: 36g | Fiber: 4g | Protein: 4g

This soup has the flavor of a loaded or stuffed baked potato but with less fat.

1. Place the onions, potatoes, water, salt, and pepper into a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 hours.
   

2. Purée using an immersion blender or purée in batches in a blender. Stir in the cheese, sour cream, bacon crumbles, and green onion.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 170 | Fat: 3.5g | Sodium: 220mg | Carbohydrates: 28g | Fiber: 3g | Protein: 6g

This hearty and delicious seafood stew is best served with crusty sourdough bread to sop up all the juices.

1. Place the onions, celery, garlic, tomatoes, clam juice, water or stock, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, oregano, parsley, and vinegar in a 4-quart slow cooker. Stir vigorously. Cook on low for 8 hours.
   

2. Add the seafood and green onions and cook on high for 30 minutes. Stir prior to serving.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 210 | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 510mg | Carbohydrates: 13g | Fiber: 3g | Protein: 30g

Save Your Shells

Save your shrimp shells to make shrimp stock. Simply follow the recipe for
Chicken Stock
and use the shells instead of chicken bones. Add a couple of extra pieces of celery, onion, and carrot for extra flavor. Use in seafood dishes instead of fish or chicken stock.

With one bite, this slightly simplified version of the Provençal fish stew will convert anyone who is skeptical about cooking seafood in the slow cooker into a believer.

1. Place the vegetables, garlic, basil, zests, bay leaf, tomato, and water or stock into a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low for 8 hours.
   

2. Add the seafood. Cook for 20 minutes on high. Stir prior to serving. Discard any mussels that do not open.
   

PER SERVING
Calories: 260 | Fat: 8g | Sodium: 280mg | Carbohydrates: 23g | Fiber: 3g | Protein: 27g

Traditionally the soup is topped with loads of cheese and bread, but in this slimmed-down version, the cheesy bread is served on the side.

Place the onions, butter, oil, sugar, and flour into a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on high for 40 minutes. Add the stock and reduce to low. Cook for 8 hours.