Sunday Slow Cooker

I've always cooked with canned beans over higher-maintenance dried beans, but after seeing PartySugar make a beef chili that required no preliminary bean soaking, I decided it was high time I followed in her footsteps.

The perfect place to start? A simple, yet flavorful Cajun stew of andouille sausage, veggies, and Great Northern beans that requires no soaking whatsoever.
Just pop it into the slow cooker, wait four and a half hours, and serve! I'll enjoy it with some dirty rice and sautéed greens. Interested? Then keep reading.

After a long week of admittedly too much partying, I'm in the mood for an easy, nourishing meal. Tonight, I'll be using my slow cooker to make a bacon-flecked stew with white wine and a whole cut-up chicken, reminiscent of the French countryside favorite coq au vin.

Hours later, when the scent wafting from the crockpot tells me that dinner's ready, I'll enjoy it at the table with the rest of the leftover wine. Sound like a relaxing close to a long, busy week? Then make the recipe yourself when you read more.

After falling in love with a Cuban-inspired crockpot chicken, tonight I'm cooking along the same vein with a beef and pepper braise that conjures up images of dinner in Havana.

I'll serve the fork-tender flank steak and bell pepper medley over steamed white rice, avocado, and my favorite herb, cilantro. Ready to make your own one-pot Latin meal? Then keep reading.

The slow cooker isn't just great for braised meats and stews; it's also the ideal vehicle for making smooth and creamy blended soups. This recipe is a staple of mine; it's wonderful on the fly because it calls for commonplace ingredients like broth and canned plum tomatoes.

When pureeing the hot soup, I recommend allowing it to cool slightly and partially covering it as you use an immersion blender. Or, opt for a standing blender if you're worried about being splashed by hot soup.
For a complete meal, serve with crusty homemade garlic bread and, if you want to add a little more protein, a topping of crispy baked prosciutto. See the recipe when you read more.

A lazy Sunday is the perfect time to experiment with slow cooker techniques. Even if your idea of crockpot cuisine doesn't extend beyond throwing stuff into a pot, consider taking a few extra minutes to dredge your meat in flour, then brown it in a skillet before braising. A Provençal stew doesn't require many extra steps yet has more complexity and body than basic crockpot chicken.

Black Nyons olives, crushed tomatoes, and basil add layers of flavor. To try out the recipe, keep on reading.

New to the world of crockpots like PartySugar? Then you might not realize the capabilities that slow cookers have beyond soups, braises, and stews. It might seem counterintuitive to make lasagna in an oval crockpot, but the result will leave you (and your stomach) pleasantly surprised. Arrange browned beef, uncooked noodles, tomato sauce, and cheese in layers, proceed to tend to the rest of your life without ever having to check on the oven, and come back to a glorious Italian family meal.

Make this for dinner tonight when you read more.

Don't have the patience for all that froufrou Valentine's Day stuff? Then keep the tail-end of your weekend low-key with a slow cooker supper that pays an ever-so-subtle homage to the Lunar New Year.

Start with a generous cut of budget-friendly pork shoulder and some Winter root vegetables, and simmer it for several hours in a stock spiced with cinnamon, anise, ginger, and garlic. Serve the comforting end product over noodles or rice when you read more.

A little forward thinking today will go a long way. Chances are, after the big game, you'll be craving something light, fiber-rich, and low in fat to help you get over too many beers, chips, and buffalo wings.

Before you head out to your Super Bowl festivities, bring together barley, broth, seasonings, and whatever vegetables — canned or fresh — you happen to have on hand.
All the different elements will come together over a long simmer resulting in a soothing soup that's waiting for you at home. Make a dinner you'll be grateful for and read more.

Since most of you eat chicken a couple times a week, I thought I'd share a really basic slow cooker recipe that produces solid results.

This spiced carrot and chicken stew takes inspiration from the slow-braised tagines of North Africa, with flavors like cinnamon, cumin, cilantro, and golden raisins.

If you aren't crazy about chicken thighs, you can use chicken breasts. Serve over couscous or rice pilaf. Want the recipe? Then keep on reading.

My absolute favorite slow cooker recipe is actually a soup. A rich, full-bodied split pea soup. Although pea soup can also be made meatless, it's classically prepared with diced ham or a ham hock. Tonight, I can't wait to experiment with a contemporary take on split pea, which uses a different pig product, chorizo. Since the recipe calls for a dice, buy Spanish chorizo.

It's cured and smoked, making it easier to slice, as opposed to the often-uncooked Mexican version. Try something new when you read more.