Quayside - Vegan Slow Cooker

The health advantages of a plant-strong diet are compelling and well proven. But preparing yummy meals that are wholesome can be time consuming. Thats where this book comes in. Slow cookers can be huge labor and time savers, if you know how to use them. This is the book that will show you how. John Robbins, author of The Food Revolution, The New Good Life, Diet for a New America, and other bestsellers

And to my companion animals,
past and present, who showed me
how to wholeheartedly throw myself
into any endeavor thats worth doing.

Plus, it cooked while I was in class. I managed to stay within my food budget and feed all my friends most nights, too. A versatile appliance, the slow cooker goes way beyond preconceived limitations. It can even stand in for a rice cooker or an oven in a pinch. Its a great way to extend your kitchen during the holidays, and it can double as a buffet server, too. Because I work all day, it allows me to either come home to a ready-to-eat meal or prepare one as soon as I get home.

I like to make some of the 2-hour dishes after work, then go for a walk or do a few chores around the house while its cooking. The best part is that neither way requires me to be in the kitchen the whole cooking time. In the winter I cook breakfast in it, and I usually come home to a hearty stew. But people often forget that it puts off very little heat and is a perfect addition to your kitchen in the summer as well. Impress your friends with focaccia or pizza from the slow cooker and a simple salad on a summers evening. Another unexpected place to use your slow cooker is camping.

Its not so good for backpackers, but its perfect for car or RV camping. You can even buy slow cookers that run on 12 volts and cook right in your car! I love coming back from a hike or swim to a big pot of jambalaya to eat by the fire. The slow cooker is a perfect tool for a vegan kitchen. Instead of buying cans of beans, you can cook yours without all the salt while youre at work or asleep. Soups and stews really meld well together after cooking all day, and you can even make pasta and rice dishes in it. You may just find yourself as enamored with your slow cooker as I am with mine.

But try not to accumulate as many slow cookers as I have. People will start to talk!

Most of us still eat hot foods in the summertime, and a slow cooker is a great way to keep your house from heating up. You can even make a pizza in it! If you work a day job, imagine dinner waiting when you walk in the door. Its the same case if you are a stay-at-home parent or a college student. The slow cooker buys time to focus on other things in our lives and still have a nice, nutritious meal. A little over half the recipes in this book cook from 6 to 8 hours. Many others are 2 to 4 hours.

The shorter cooking time is perfect for when you want to come home, start dinner, and do some chores, go to the gym, or relax for a while before you eat. SLOW COOKER BASICS People think that with a slow cooker you just throw in a few things and magically you get a tasty meal. While it really is simple to cook in one, you still need to get a few basic safety concepts under your belt. STAY AT HOME THE FIRST TIME YOU USE YOUR SLOW COOKER As you would with any appliance that heats up, you need to check and make sure the slow cooker is functioning properly before using it without being in the house. This will also let you know whether it runs on the hotter side, so you can adjust recipes with no mishaps. FILL YOUR SLOW COOKER TO THE MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDED AMOUNT Your slow cooker should be half to three-fourths full to cook at its proper temperature.

This can vary from model to model as well as make to make. Be sure to check your user guide to see whats recommended for your model. You may find that foods such as stews and casseroles burn if this rule is not followed, because the food will cook much hotter than it should. This is one of the main complaints about newer slow cookers. If you have a 6- to 7-quart (5.7 to 6.6 L) slow cooker, you can double many of the recipes to fill your slow cooker up enough. Note: We will use this to our advantage in some of the baking recipes, by not filling the slow cooker up to the recommended fill line. USE COMMON SENSE Always make sure the area around the sides of the slow cooker is clear.