C to the Rock Pot!

How in the hell did I ever survive before the Crock-Pot?  I was inspired reading one of the Fat Cyclist posts the other day, and decided to try a little Crock-Pot cooking myself.  Elden is right,  you cannot screw this up!  I really don't have the time to cook regular meals right now, let alone healthy vegan ones, but I have yet to prepare a meal in this thing that took more than 10 minutes to prep.  It's also really easy to go fat-free (if you're into that kinda thing). 

 

Not only that, but crockpot dishes also seem to benefit from the addition of whatever-needs-to-be-eaten-today-before-it-goes-bad ingredients.  Half a cup of chickpeas that you aren't really going to put in a salad = extra protein and delightful texture.  Kinda wilty spinach or leftover green beans = a splash of color and nutrients in a hearty bean soup.  

Today's adventure: Potato Lentil Stew

(quantities are very approximate - measuring takes time and leads to dirty dishes)

1 c. red lentils

4-5 red potatoes, cubed (not peeled)

4 carrots, reasonably sized pieces

2 c. spinach, chopped

3 coves garlic, crushed

1 bay leaf

1 T Italian Herb Seasoning

1 metric ton black pepper

whatever leftovers seem to fit

and...

Eva's Secret Vegan Yummy Broth (just trust me):

1 PBR tallboy or 1 c. Franzia

1/4 c. soy sauce

1/2 t. instant espresso

1/2 t. paprika

Enough water to cover

Turn the crock-pot on high to kick things off for the first hour or two, then set it on low until it looks like soup (6 hrs total?).

If there's actually anyone out there reading this little blog, brace yourself for an onslaught of crock-pot recipes.