Rready When You Are - Recipe

Vegetarian Times, Oct, 2000 by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

It's no crock: Slow cookers work dinner magic

It's the culinary equivalent of the wood-paneled station wagon, the lava lamp and the macrame plant holder. But dig deep enough into your kitchen cabinet and you, too, might find the least hip appliance ever made--the Crock-Pot.

Think about it: Have you ever seen a yard sale without one harvest gold or avocado green Crock-Pot sitting there all by its lonesome? It may have looked right at home on Mrs. Brady's orange laminated countertop, but in this high-tech age, could it be any more passe?

Actually, we think not. There are several good reasons to dust off your Crock-Pot. Start with this: It makes cooking dinner about as easy and convenient as humanly possible. As countless satisfied users can attest, you just fill your slow cooker with all the ingredients from a chosen recipe in the morning, then are greeted hours later by the enticing aroma of a savory dinner ready to be eaten. Foods prepared in slow cookers also yield healthful meals. The long, moist cooking method retains the natural juices from vegetables (rather than boiling them away) and results in flavorful and nutritious dishes. But of course to some home chefs, the best reason for using a Crock-Pot is that it's almost impossible to burn or overcook a meal.

Slow cookers are also safe to use. Depending on the heat setting, they run on 75 to 90 watts of energy--about the same as if you left the radio or a light on all day. And, as the USDA points out, the direct heat, lengthy cooking times and steam created in the slow cooker combine to destroy any harmful bacteria.

Crock-Pots have come a long way. The first one was produced in 1971 by the Kansas City--based Rival Company and marketed to housewives looking for easy budget meals. Some 20 years later, Rival expanded the line to include 10 models, ranging in capacity from 1 to 6 quarts. The company doesn't release figures, but its marketing department says Crock-Pots sell steadily. In fact, one recent survey found that more brides receive slow cookers than any other appliance.

As slow cookers have evolved, so has the variety of their uses: The heavy stoneware can take the work out of caramelizing onions, free oven space by baking potatoes or serve up piping hot oatmeal in the morning. It can turn an abundant harvest into tomato sauce or applesauce and soften dried beans without presoaking. And besides the tempting soups, stews and casseroles it produces, you can also use it to make moist breads, cakes and puddings.

Having heard all that, don't you think it's high time you dug your Crock-Pot out of storage? Or pick one up at a local tag sale. It may look like a retro appliance, but the freedom and variety it offers the cook is definitely for the 21st century.

Gingered Carrot Soup

5 TO 6 SERVINGS EGG-FREE

If your food processor can't handle all the vegetables at once, process half of them at a time. For a pretty garnish, spoon some plain yogurt in a small plastic food-storage bag, seal, snip off a bottom corner and pipe out a swirl.

8 medium carrots, peeled and cut into
  1-inch chunks
1 medium all-purpose potato, peeled
  and Cut into 1-inch chunks
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs. light brown sugar
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
14 1/2-oz. can vegetable broth
5-oz. can evaporated skim milk
1/4 tsp. grated lemon peel

1. In 3 1/2-quart or larger electric slow cooker, combine carrots, potato, onion, sugar, ginger, salt and pepper. Stir in broth. Cover and cook at low setting until vegetables are tender, about 10 hours.

2. In food processor or blender, process vegetables with a little hot soup stock until coarsely chopped. Return to slow cooker. Stir in milk and lemon peel. Increase cooker heat setting to high; cover and cook until soup is heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

PER SERVING: 167 CAL.; 5G PROT.; 0 TOTAL FAT (0 SAT, FAT); 31G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 357MG SOD,; 4G FIBER

Adapted from Healthy Crockery Cookingby M. Hoffman (HP Books, 1998).

Spinach Manicotti

6 SERVINGS EGG-FREE

Big pasta shells, stuffed with a flavorful filling of herbed spinach and tofu, simmer until tender in a wine-accented tomato sauce. Depending on the brand of manicotti you use, the cooking time will vary. Test and taste after 4 hours, then continue to cook if necessary. If Italian herb seasoning is unavailable, substitute 1/2 teaspoon each dried basil, marjoram, oregano and thyme.

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried Italian herb seasoning
1 lb. soft tofu, rinsed and drained
10-oz, pkg, frozen chopped spinach,
  thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
12 dried manicotti shells
2 (15-oz.) cans low-sodium tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella
  cheese (4 oz.)

1. In 5-quart or larger electric slow cooker, combine onion, celery, garlic and herb seasoning. Mix well and set aside. In large bowl, combine tofu, spinach, Parmesan and pepper; mix well. With small spoon, stuff manicotti shells with tofu mixture.