Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (42 page)
Read Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking Online
Authors: Carla Kelly
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon agave
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
4 cups baby arugula, packed
2 cups baby spinach, packed
½ cup cilantro leaves, packed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt, black pepper, and lemon juice
Vegetable stock, optional
1.
Place the margarine in the slow cooker and set heat to HIGH, allowing the margarine to soften. Stir in the flour and salt until well combined, about 1 minute.
2.
Add the stock and stir until it is incorporated; repeat with the soymilk.
3.
Add the onions through the cilantro; stir to combine. The greens will fill the slow cooker and not be completely covered by the liquid.
4.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 1 hour. Stir the now-wilted greens into the liquid. Cover and cook, still on LOW, for 2 hours, or until the mixture is thickened and bright green.
5.
Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, creamy, and green. Add the lemon juice.
6.
Taste and season with the salt, pepper, and lemon juice as required. Add stock or even pasta cooking water if the sauce is too thick.
7.
Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 1 week. When reheating, do so gently.
Creamy Garlic Pasta Sauce
A
LTHOUGH THE GARLIC
is mellow and smooth thanks to the poaching, this dish really is for garlic lovers. It’s also not a low-fat recipe, but the result is so thick, rich, and creamy that it is worth the splurge. Use this sauce not only to toss with pasta but to replace a béchamel or chees-y sauce in Lasagna (
page 182
), or anywhere else you’d like an extra garlic lift. If you’re using a regular food processor to pulse the nuts, remember to give the motor rests so it doesn’t overheat. The result may not be completely smooth, but it will still be good.
Makes about 5 cups
Preparation time: 10 minutes
4 heads garlic, separated into cloves, bases removed and peeled (about 45 cloves)
1 cup canola or grapeseed oil
1½ cups raw cashews, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
2 cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)
1 cup almond milk
¼ cup Dry Chees-y Mix (
page 51
)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Salt and black pepper
*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.
1.
Combine the garlic and oil in the slow cooker. The garlic should be covered by the oil.
2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 2 hours until garlic is soft.
3.
In a powerful blender or food processor pulse the cashews until finely chopped.
4.
Add the garlic and oil from the slow cooker and process until smooth and creamy.
5.
Add the stock through the cornstarch; blend until well combined and silky smooth.
6.
Return to the slow cooker, stir to combine. Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 2 hours, or until thick and smooth.
7.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.
Lentil “Spag Bol” Sauce
A
TOMATO-PACKED, VIBRANTLY FLAVORED
,
protein-rich topping for your spaghetti. Not exactly what you’d be eating in Bologna, but very good all the same. For a thicker sauce, cook a while longer. For a thinner sauce, add stock.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
½ medium onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried basil
1½ teaspoons paprika, preferably smoked
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)
One 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
One 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, fire roasted if possible
Salt and black pepper
Additional stock as required
*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.
1.
Combine the garlic through the whole tomatoes in the slow cooker.
2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 6 hours, or until the lentils are tender and the sauce is thick.
3.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.
Grains and Sides
Asparagus and Pine Nut Vodka Risotto
Lemon and Lemongrass Millet Rice
Red Pepper and Spinach Millet Risotto
Smoky Sour and Sweet BBQ Mushrooms
A
LTHOUGH “SIDES” IS
part of this chapter’s name, several of these grain dishes are hearty and substantial enough to be meals in their own right, maybe with a side of vegetables or salad. Many recipes are versions of stovetop and oven-baked dishes I love and really are main meals loaded with proteins and veggies. I like them as lunch dishes, but you can make that call for yourself.
However, feel free to use the heavier recipes as side dishes to chilies, stews, or curries; just take care you match the flavors or you may end up with menu discord. The more obvious side dishes suit all sorts of menus and are especially good for the holidays, when having the side in the slow cooker makes for easy transport and less stress. Mix and match as you will.
If you are worried about cooking the grains evenly, when at least half the cooking time has elapsed, give the dish a quick stir to move things around if you can. Otherwise, don’t worry; all will be okay.
For leftover grains, store in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in a skillet, oven, or microwave until piping hot all the way through. For risotto-based dishes, you can form leftovers into balls, coat with panko or bread crumbs, and fry to make risotto balls, as good as any restaurant makes.
Italian Barley
I
LIKE THIS DISH
as a lunch; it’s not overly herby, instead nicely balanced and quite hearty. I like to have a little something on the side, such as Chees-y Crackers (
page 240
). Leftovers can be served cold as a salad. Please soak the barley in advance. This softens the grain, shortens the cooking time, and rinses out some of the starch that would otherwise leave cooked barley a bit slimy.