Nicki Sizemore - Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker: Reinvent the Slow-Cooked Meal

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Edited by Deanna F. Cook and Sarah Guare

Art direction and book design by Ash Austin

Text production by Jennifer Jepson Smith

Indexed by Christine R. Lindemer, Boston Road Communications

Cover and interior photography by Philip Ficks

Additional photographs by Floortje/

Food styling by Tehra Thorp

Text 2019 by Nicki Sizemore

Ebook production by Kristy L. MacWilliams

Ebook version 1.0

October 29, 2019

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Sizemore, Nicki, author.

Title: Fresh flavors for the slow cooker / Nicki Sizemore.

Description: North Adams : Storey Publishing, 2019. | Includes index. | Summary: Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker is filled with slow-simmered main dishes, plus 35 recipes for sauces and sides, that replace canned ingredients with fresh vegetables, boost flavor with aromatic herbs and spices, and feature a tantalizing array of global tastes in dishes that span the menu. Whether youre feeding a family or entertaining a crowd, each recipe highlights prep work that can be knocked out days in advance, making serving meals worthy of every occasion easy and delicious Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019023390 (print) | LCCN 2019023391 (ebook) | ISBN 9781635861235 (paperback) | ISBN 9781635861242 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Electric cooking, Slow. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX827 .S537 2019 (print) | LCC TX827 (ebook) | DDC 641.5/884--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019023390

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc .gov/2019023391

For Mom, who convinced me to give my slow cooker another chance

I confess: I havent always loved my slow cooker. For years it collected dust on a basement shelf, hauled upstairs only once or twice a year to simmer a batch of chili. While I wanted to like it (what could be better than an appliance that will cook dinner for you?!), the recipes I tried consistently turned out dull or watery or, worst of all, both. After several disappointing meals, starting with a cream-of-something disaster and ending with a tough-as-leather pork loin, I threw in the towel.

To be honest, it wasnt until a couple of years ago that I started to reconsider that dusty lady. With two kids, a dog, busy jobs, and never-ending afternoon and evening activities, I needed backup in the kitchen. While I had been relying on a small handful of kitchen appliances to help me get dinner on the table fast the food processor for chopping and pureing, the high-speed blender for quick sauces and smoothies, and the rice cooker for making big batches of whole grains and rice none could meet the promise of the slow cooker. It could actually cook our meals unattended (!!) while we went about our days.

I started tinkering with a few slow cooker recipes, ditching the canned goods for fresh ingredients, cutting back on the liquid to prevent the food from turning watery, amping up the aromatics (such as onions and garlic) and spices to inject lots of flavor, and finishing the cooked dishes with quick but vibrant sauces or toppings. Much to my excitement, I discovered that it is possible to create mouthwatering meals in the slow cooker from succulent meatballs to vegetarian Thai curries and holiday-worthy braises.

Fast-forward to today. I am now infatuated with my slow cooker. Sure, she might not be all that technologically flamboyant, but the slow cooker can be utterly indispensable when it comes to getting unbelievably delicious dinners on the table on busy weeknights. Even more, its my secret tool for making stress-free yet elegant meals when entertaining.

The stress of getting dinner on the table can be exponentially reduced with the help of the slow cooker, not simply because it cooks your food all day but because it takes away the dinnertime stress of figuring out what to make. Whereas I would usually wait until the evening witching hour when life is at its most stressful in my house to start cooking dinner, I began to get into the habit of prepping meals in the morning, or at lunch, or best yet, the day before, then letting the slow cooker do its job. Since the mealtime hour was simplified, I was even freed up to make sauces and sides if I felt the urge.

The slow cooker has become a weeknight warrior in my house, regularly helping me knock out not only dinner but also breakfast and brunch. Through a whole bunch of testing (and retesting and retesting!), I developed recipes that pass my strict taste tests while also being accessible enough for any old Tuesday. I use the slow cooker to bake sweet potatoes, which we stuff like giant nachos (see of soups, such as a veggie-packed minestrone and creamy Thai Curried Chicken and Rice Noodles; I make ribs and carnitas, which in the past I would cook only on weekends; and I even slow-cook a comforting pumpkin brown rice pudding while we sleep. My family gets wholesome, satisfying, downright