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Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker: 200 Recipes for Healthy and Hearty One-Pot Meals That Are Ready When You Are
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Authors/Performers
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Robin Robertson;
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The title should say it all. I have an hour and a half commute to work and I go to night school - I don't have time to cook. Ever. But these recipes (some are better than others, be forewarned) ensure that I eat something other than frozen vegetables and rice. The bean and grain focused sections feature recipes that are all about the glory of the vegetable and don't require cheese, milk, cream etc. Nor do you necessarily need to rely on pretend meat items or soy for these recipes. I live in a rural part of the US and finding something exotic like "tofu" can be challenging but the essential ingredients in these recipes are fairly easy for me to find.
In short, buy the book if you are busy, have a crock pot, and don't want to eat animal products.
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[Rating: 4 Stars]
Overall I like the recipes in this book. They taste good, and I like her idea of sauteing the onions and other vegetables on high for a half hour before adding the other ingredients so that you can avoid "cooking" and dirtying a skillet. However, she wants too many things precooked. The sauteing is alright, but her bean recipes are too complicated. Soaking beans overnight is normal, but then she wants the beans to be slow cooked for 8 hours prior to using them in the recipe! I personally find this suggestion overkill since this means by the time the recipe is done the beans may cook for 16 hours.;
[Rating: 3 Stars]
I've been vegan for 6 years now & vegetarian for well over 10. I LOVE cooking and baking, and am always looking for new cookbooks to add to my collection. However, the problem is that once I have my hands on a new cookbook, I skim over the recipes & then hardly ever touch it again! That might just be my style... I let the recipes inspire my cooking, but rarely follow the directions to the letter.
Anyways, last year I purchased a crock pot to attempt try slow-cooking. After several unsuccessful tries I gave up. I just assumed that I could throw ingredients into the pot, wait 7 hours, and then *poof*, a yummy dinner would magically appear. Sadly that is NOT the case. So, I began shopping around for a good vegetarian/vegan slow-cooker book.
Well, let me say that after ordering this cookbook (Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker), I've gone from using my slow-cooker once every 3-4 months to 3-4 times per week! All of the recipes I've tried are AMAZING! And, unlike some other reviewers, I've found the cooking times to be right on. (I have a 5-quart crock pot by Rival. If you order this book, I would recommend cooking with either a 5 or 6 quart crockpot, nothing smaller)
There is a wonderful array of ethnic-inspired dishes included in this collection, (middle-eastern, italian, indian, etc) as well as dishes using meat substitutes, (seitan, tofu, tempeh) and legumes-a-plenty (the split pea & parsnip soup is killer!!!)
Not to mention that the book includes everything from appetizers, entrees and soups to desserts and hot drinks! And the majority of it is nearly 100% vegan, and vegan substitutes are readily discussed throughout the book. Can it get any better than this? I think not!
Finally, its such a wonderful feeling to know that when I get home from a long day of work & roller derby, a yummy, healthy, home-cooked and hot meal awaits me!
It should be noted, however, that many of the recipes require around 10-15 minutes of prep work either at the very beginning (sauteeing onions, for example) or at the end of the cooking process (cooking & adding couscous to a dish). Additionally, many of the bean dishes require soaking the beans overnight. But, if you don't mind the time spent, its WELL worth it! In other words, would I sacrifice 15 minutes of my morning so that I could enjoy a slow-cooked soup in the evening? YES, without a doubt!
By far, this is the most used cookbook in my collection, and, unlike my other cookbooks that sit on my shelf looking pretty, I actually enjoy following the recipes because I know that the finished product will be totally delicious!
Highly, highly recommended book for all you vegan/vegetarian crock-pot lovers!!! Very recommended for all of you vegans on the go!!! And especially recommended for all of you veggies out there who - like me - have been resistant to cooking with recipes and/or cookbooks. This book will help you develop a true appreciation for cooking with recipes, while inspiring you to create your own vegan slow-cooked delights on your own! Its the best of both worlds!
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[Rating: 5 Stars]
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