Slow cooker recipes for a non-cook

I’m looking forward to trying this this week.

Looks great. Sadly I can’t eat lentils. Wonder what I could sub in.

Dried chickpeas would probably work, but you’d have to soak them first. In fact, probably any pulse/legume would be a suitable sub.

I made the peanut satay, but since I had some spare rib trimmings (made St. Louis ribs from a rack of spares) I really wanted to use up, I made peanut pork satay instead. It was good, but I think in the future I’ll add a glug of fish sauce for some salt and savoriness, and also add some potatoes, onions, and carrots and make it into a stew.

Love the idea of fish sauce …

Just credit that as an “inspired by”. When you swap out the protein, add many veggies and change-up the seasoning/spices you get to count it as your own original.

If your budget allows, use the supermarket salad bar to prep your ingredients. Even on a limited basis: if your recipe uses a small amount of something you rarely buy, it may be more economical than, for example, having to purchase a whole bunch of celery nobody will finish.

I didn’t care for this all that much.

I’m happy to report that our freezer stash of slow cooker leftovers (as well as Trader Joe’s stuff to supplement) got us through a week of illness and exhaustion! @GretchenS you called this one- this new skill definitely came in handy!!

So sorry to hear you were sick, hope you are on the road to recovery, and glad you had the wherewithal to get through it without starving!

Idea - Oven roasted whole chicken, slow cooker mashed potatoes

By the by, the 3 quart IP is on sale for Amazon Whatever Reason We Have to Run a Sale Days this week. Under $60

My husband did this one tonight. One of my favorites thus far. Loved the lemon juice. I added the chopped up parsley at the end which gave it some nice color. We had it with rice and salads/raw veggies on the side. Don’t think we’ll be freezing this one because of the sour cream and beans so I’ll be looking forward to eating this for lunch for the next few days!

I fought it for days, but I succumbed. Baby IP is on its way.

We got a 6qt (I think) a while back because BF went through a stretch where he was making beans weekly for himself. I’ve warmed up to it lately. Still have only done beans in it, but at some point I am going to try a stew out now that it’s fall, maybe this one to start:

My husband scored one on Facebook marketplace for $10! Just needed a good clean and a new sealing ring. We’re going to use it camping.

That’s a deal! I need to look at Marketplace!

Tonight was NYT slow cooker butter chicken. Flavors were a bit muted but it was another keeper for sure. I may peruse some other butter chicken recipes to see what it’s missing. We all enjoyed it with jasmine rice and some veggies on the side. Another keeper, with some room for improvement.

Coconut milk seems unusual to me (the recipe I follow has heavy cream). I’d add a little extra ground cardamom and, at the end, dried fenugreek leaves.