Most people consider using slow cookers only for cold-weather dishes; warming braises, stews, and soups using hearty flavors and heavy vegetables. While these may be perfect for chilly evenings, they’re probably not what you’re craving if you live in a warm climate. But the slow cooker can also be a perfect tool in the kitchen no matter where you live or what the temperature.
The slow cooker, also known as a crockpot, can give any cook, in any kitchen, regardless of experience or skill level, the flexibility to increase their repertoire of dishes. Not only because it’s so easy to use – if you can soak beans and chop vegetables you can create flavorful dishes – but also because the time commitment involved is minimal. Almost all of the active time involved in using a slow cooker is in preparation. Whatever your style of eating, flavor preferences, or budget, a slow cooker can free up your time, so that you can do things you’d rather be doing than cooking.
These appliances cook at a low heat for a long time (it is “slow” cooking, after all) so you can set and forget, then get on with your day and come home to a dinner which is almost completely ready for you. This free time is just as valuable in balmy Southern climes as it is in the less temperate north. Why cook when you can spend the day at the beach, or go skiing, or just want to relax after work?
If you plan to entertain, free yourself from the kitchen by setting up a dish to cook in your slow cooker. It will easily feed a crowd and can be tailored to be served alongside whatever other party foods you’d like.
Mediterranean Vegetable and Bean Stew
Recipe from Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking: More Than 150 Nourishing Recipes That Practically Make Themselves; $17.95; 296 pages; copyright © Carla Kelly, 2011. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment, LLC.
Bursting with produce and tasting of summer, yet warm, comforting, and substantial enough to stand up to any chill in the air, this stew is perfect when served with a loaf of crusty bread for dunking. It’s easy to assemble; you can forget it as it cooks. I like the visual appeal of varied bean sizes and shapes. Use whatever beans you have; you want a variety of them totaling 1 cup. Soak the beans separately or the black beans will turn everything purple! This is extra nice if you drizzle with a little homemade or store-bought pesto for a true Mediterranean touch.
Ingredients
- •½ onion, finely chopped
- •3 garlic cloves, minced
- •1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- •1¼ teaspoons dried oregano
- •1 teaspoon dried basil
- •¼ teaspoon black pepper
- •1 bay leaf
- •¼ cup dry pinto beans, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
- •¼ cup dry black beans, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
- •¼ cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
- •¼ cup dry navy beans, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
- •4½ cups vegetable stock or water
- •3 medium zucchini, cut in ½-inch chunks
- •2 stalks celery, cut in ½-inch chunks
- •½ red onion, cut in ½-inch chunks
- •1 red pepper, cut in ½-inch chunks
- •½ teaspoon salt
- •One 15-ounce can whole stewed tomatoes in juice
- •¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- •½ cup tomato juice
- •1 tablespoon tomato paste
- •½ cup chopped fresh basil
- •½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- •Salt and pepper
Variation
Mediterranean Stew with Olives
• Add ⅓ cup roughly chopped black olives with the basil and parsley.
Preparation
Combine the ingredients from the onion through the stock in the slow cooker; stir well.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 7 hours, or until the beans are just tender. Drain, return the beans and vegetables to the slow cooker.
Add the the ingredients from the zucchini through the tomato paste; stir to combine.
Cook for 2 hours, or until the vegetables are tender yet still firm.
Stir in the basil and parsley. Remove the bay leaf.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.
