150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes Cookbook Review

150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded edition (July 28, 2011)
While the first edition of this book was a great seller, our tastes and interests in healthier recipes have changed since then. So they decided to to revise 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes.
Enjoy old standards and new classics in this completely revised and updated edition. While 100 of the original and your favorite recipes remain, many have been refreshed to emphasis healthy eating, and 75 new recipes (including 25 bonus recipes) have been substituted to reflect today's contemporary tasters. Consequently, the number of fish, seafood and vegetarian/vegan recipes has been expanded and their is more emphasis on whole-grain options. It's all here: from great family food to more sophisticated recipes for entertaining, not to mention luscious deserts.

I always like receiving new slow cooker cookbooks, because well I need to find recipes we'll like and will keep making. I only have a few recipes that I make over and over and it's not real exciting. Well let me say that I have found another keeper recipe from this book. The Classic Beef Stew is what I chose to make. Oh my gosh it was SO good, especially over creamy mashed potatoes. It's not like the other 2 recipes I make, I think this one wins. See my photo of it at the bottom. I've also shared 2 other recipes from the book that sound good. Upon reading reviews online, I hear the Mellow Chicken Curry is really good, and since I am trying to get myself to like curry and have my family try it, this sounds like it will be ok.

I enjoyed this book, it's got photos of most of the recipes, tips for the recipe, which sort of slow cooker would work best for that recipe and more. In this book you'll find recipes for appetizers, soups, chilies, beef and veal, pork and lamb, poultry, fish and seafood and vegetarian, grains and even desserts.

Chinese-Style Braised Pork
Serves 6

This recipe is so easy to make you can dish it up as a weekday meal, but it’s also delicious enough to serve to guests, with the appropriate sides. I like to accompany it with a mélange of whole-grain rice (you can buy wonderful prepared mixes at many supermarkets now) and a platter of stir-fried bok choy. If you’re offering wine, a cold Gewürztraminer is a perfect fit.
Medium (3 to 4 quart) slow cooker

6 cloves garlic, puréed (see Tips, left)
1 tbsp finely minced ginger root 15 mL
1 tsp cracked black peppercorns 5 mL
1 tsp dry mustard 5 mL
1⁄2 tsp salt 2 mL
3 lb trimmed pork shoulder or blade (butt) roast 1.5 kg [Soft Break](approx.) (see Tips, left)
1⁄2 cup soy sauce, preferably reduced-sodium 125 mL
1⁄4 cup dry sherry (see Tips, left) 60 mL
2 tbsp packed brown sugar 30 mL
3 star anise
1⁄4 cup chopped green onions 60 mL

1.In a small bowl, combine garlic, ginger, peppercorns, mustard and salt. Rub all over meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 24 hours, turning several times, if possible.

2.When you’re ready to cook, preheat broiler. Transfer pork to rimmed baking sheet and broil, turning, until skin and sides brown evenly, about 15 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware.

3.In a bowl, combine soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar and star anise. Pour over pork. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours, until pork falls apart. To serve, cut pork into chunks, spoon pan juices over and garnish with green onions.

-Entertaining Worthy (pg 144)

-Can Be Halved[Soft Break](see Tips, below)

Tips

If you are halving this recipe, be sure to use a small (approx. 2 to 3 quart) slow cooker.

To purée garlic, use a fine, sharp-toothed grater, such as those made by Microplane.

If the whole piece of pork won’t fit in your slow cooker, cut it in half and lay the two pieces on top of each other.

Pork shoulder can be very fatty. If your pork shoulder isn’t trimmed of fat when you purchase it, I recommend purchasing a slightly larger piece, removing the string and trimming off as much fat as possible before using. Broiling will render some of the fat.

I prefer to make this with dry sherry rather than traditional Chinese Shaoxing rice wine as, in my experience, the North American offerings of this product are extremely salty and combine with the soy sauce to produce a result that tastes overwhelmingly of salt.

Delectable Apple-Cranberry Coconut Crisp

Serves 6 to 8
I love to make this delicious dessert in the fall when apples and cranberries are in season. This version is a little tart, which suits my taste, but if you have a sweet tooth, add more sugar to the cranberry mixture.

Medium (approx. 31⁄2 quart) slow cooker, lightly greased

4 cups sliced, peeled apples 1 L
2 cups cranberries, thawed if frozen 500 mL

1⁄2 cup granulated sugar125 mL

1 tbsp cornstarch 15 mL
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 mL
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice or port wine 30 mL

Coconut Topping
1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar 125 mL
1⁄2 cup rolled oats125 mL

1⁄4 cup flaked sweetened coconut 60 mL

1⁄4 cup butter 60 mL

1.In a bowl, combine apples, cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and lemon juice or port. Mix well and transfer to prepared stoneware.

2.Coconut Topping: In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, rolled oats, coconut and butter. Using two forks or your fingers, combine until crumbly. Spread over apple mixture.
3.Place a clean tea towel, folded in half (so you will have two layers), over top of stoneware. Cover and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours, until crisp is hot and bubbly. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Variation
Apple-Coconut Crisp: Use 6 cups (1.5 L) sliced apples, omit cranberries, reduce sugar to 1⁄4 cup (60 mL) and use lemon juice rather than port wine.

- Vegetarian Friendly
- Entertaining Worthy
- Can Be Halved[Soft Break](see Tip, below)

Tip
If you are halving this recipe, be sure to use a small (approx. 11⁄2 to 3 quart) slow cooker.
Excerpted from The 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes, Second Edition by Judith Finlayson
Photographs by Colin Erricson © 2011 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Classic Beef Stew
pg 116

stewing beef
onions
celery
carrots
garlic
thyme
salt
pepper
bay leaves
flour
beef broth
red wine or water
parsley




*Disclosure* I wrote this review for "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" about 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes. The product(s) in this review were provided to me free of cost for the purpose of conducting my review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation. Product info & stock images provided by PR or Co.