This is the ultimate quick-fix meal. It takes forever to cook (either stove top or slow-cooker) if you use dried beans (and you should), but it's simple because you just toss in whatever vegetables you have (almost) and lots of dried spices. It's very economical, it's fresh, and … [Read more...] about Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Mixed Bean Chili with Parsnips, Carrots and Eggplant
Slow-Cooker
The Best Slow-Cooker Chicken and Vegetables
I won't be slow-cooking for awhile, as I'm in Peru for two months (where I am not bringing my slow-cooker...), but it got cold in Montreal this month before I left and I needed some comfort food. And there was no way I was going to marinate turkey for 3 hours and then toss out … [Read more...] about The Best Slow-Cooker Chicken and Vegetables
Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Whole Yellow Peas?
The answer is clearly "yes," unfortunately. But one more recipe for the local legume won't kill you. And this one doesn't have anything funny in it like mango powder. The best part? Garlic slices that turn sweet in the broth. You can slow-cook or oven-bake this dish. And though I … [Read more...] about Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Whole Yellow Peas?
Chicken Curry and Discovering Fresh Fenugreek in Montreal
A friend of mine said he finds fresh fenugreek leaves up by Jean-Talon and Parc Ex in Montreal, where there's a whole host of Southeast Asian grocers and restaurants. There are two much closer to my house in the southwest of the city, but I've never seen fenugreek there. The … [Read more...] about Chicken Curry and Discovering Fresh Fenugreek in Montreal
Thumbprint Cookies and Slow-cooker Sugar-free Raspberry Jam
What I learned from a rotary evaporator was that reducing liquids at very low temperatures saves their flavour. Not that the rotary evaporator stood in front of a classroom of able-minded cooks and told me that. Instead, I tasted it in the spherified orange juice that looked like … [Read more...] about Thumbprint Cookies and Slow-cooker Sugar-free Raspberry Jam
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
What the heck is apple butter? Is it apple-flavoured butter? What do you do with it? These are all valid questions. Here are the answers: Apple butter is just apple butter cooked down to a spreadable, sort of butter-like consistency. It is not butter at all, thus is not … [Read more...] about Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Slow-cooker Eggplant and Potato Curry
This looks completely unappetizing, I know, but bear with me. If you really love eggplant, it's worth making. The spicing is mild (aka "Indian for wimps"), so pump up the heat and the curry powder if you really want some flavour. You're also supposed to serve it with tomato … [Read more...] about Slow-cooker Eggplant and Potato Curry
Slow-Cooker Indian Lemon Chicken
When I think lemon chicken, I think plain chicken breast, grilled, with too much acid squeezed over it. Then I think cornstarch-thickened sweet gloopy Chinese sauce with a tiny bit of soy and lots of MSG on deep-fried or shallow-fried chunks of whatever piece of chicken was the … [Read more...] about Slow-Cooker Indian Lemon Chicken
Fast Slow-Cooker Chicken with Vegetables
Can I write this recipe in one breath? Peel 3 or 4 potatoes and 3 or 4 carrots and roughly chop (optional Jerusalem artichokes for sweetness - though they take more time and much more than one breath to peel. Can leave all of the above unpeeled and just scrub) 5 to 8 boneless, … [Read more...] about Fast Slow-Cooker Chicken with Vegetables
Slow-Cooker Chicken Vindaloo
This recipe's a doozy. It takes awhile, and needs to be planned at least one day in advance. But is it worth it? Emphatically, yes! Vindaloo is a sweet-and-sour sauce using vinegar and garlic. It's associated with the Portuguese influence in Indian cooking from Goa and comes … [Read more...] about Slow-Cooker Chicken Vindaloo