Week 3: Vegetarian Cassoulet

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com for Vegetarian Cassoulet.  It seemed promising and the fact that was based on a French dish was a bonus in getting Liz to participate in Crockpot Wednesdays again.  I didn't follow it exactly though.  I had planned to use garlic but since we were out I added garlic powder to the onions and carrots.  I used rosemary and thyme (what is savory anyway?).
It was good.  Andrew really liked it and had seconds.  Although I liked it I would have preferred more broth.  It was thick and filling- I couldn't finish mine.  And no surprise here - I added red pepper flakes and a dash of Frank's Red Hot to my serving.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 pound dry navy beans, soaked overnight
• 4 cups mushroom broth
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh lemon thyme, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh savory
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
• 
  
• Directions

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and carrots in oil until tender.
2. In a slow cooker, combine beans, carrots and onion, mushroom broth, bouillon, and bay leaf. Pour in water if necessary to cover ingredients with water. Tie together parsley, rosemary, thyme, and savory, and add to the pot. Cook on Low for 8 hours.
3. Stir in potato, and continue cooking for 1 hour. Remove herbs before serving.

Spaghetti Squash

I made Spaghetti Squash tonight and it was delicious!  After we ate most of it Andrew said, "This is really good. You should take a picture for your blog."   Since he went to the trouble of taking the picture for me... here it is. Just don't tell him no one reads this!

Week 2: Red Beans and Barley

Is non-pearled barley available anywhere?  Not at Trader Joe's, Henry's or Ralph's.  Between the two of us,  Liz and I hit three grocery stores and only found pearled barley.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup uncooked barley, rinsed (long-cooking variety; not pearl)

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 large stalk celery, chopped

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed or more to taste

15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes

2 pieces bay leaf

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in order listed in a 5 quart slow cooker; do not stir.  Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours; stir and serve.

Since "long-cooking barley" seems to be a myth in San Diego, I used pearl barley.  And it was delicious!  I added red pepper flakes to my serving to heat things up a bit.  It was filling and perfect for a cold and rainy day.  Did the kids eat it?  Truthfully no, but I think if they would have given it a chance they would have liked it.  I'll definitely make this again.  Maybe with a side of sausage. Yum.

Week 1: Mediterranean Vegetable Stew

I rounded up my sister and a friend and got them to agree to Crock Pot Wednesdays.  Time to finally try out some of the recipes I've collected and dust off the crock pot.  Meal planning! It will change your life, right?  OK not really.  H picked the first recipe:

Mediterranean Vegetable Stew

• 1 medium eggplant, chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 1 red or green bell pepper, or half of each color, seeded, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped, or 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cans garbanzo beans, (14 oz each), drained and rinsed
• 1 can artichoke hearts packed in water (14 oz), drained and quartered
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried leaf oregano
• freshly ground pepper
• salt
• crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 package egg noodles

Combine all ingredients except noodles in slow cooker and stir well. Cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours. Serve with hot cooked noodles.

The verdict?  It was so-so.  I added lots of red pepper flakes to my serving.  Kids weren't thrilled with it but I got them to eat a fair amount by putting grated cheddar cheese on top and giving them crackers to spread it on.

I didn't know I was going to start a blog so I didn't take a picture.  Next week.