Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker: 200 Ultra-Convenient, Super-Tasty, Completely Animal-Free Recipes by Robin Robertson

Expand your vegan repertoire and get the maximum value from your slow cooker with these 200 delicious vegan slower-cooker recipes. In Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker, best-selling vegan and vegetarian cookbook author Robin Robertson unites her expertise on the creative use of slow cookers, her ingenuity in the kitchen, and talent for working with enticing ingredients and flavors. She provides practical guidance on how to work with different models of slow cookers, taking into account the sizes of various machines, the variety of settings they offer, and the quirks and personalities of each device. Robin addresses any lingering skepticism you may have about whether slow cookers can have delicious, meat-free applications, and she shows how to take into account the water content of vegetables and the absorptive qualities of grains when vegan slow-cooking. Fresh from the Vegan Slow-Cooker includes eleven recipe chapters, four of which focus on main courses. Including many soy-free and gluten-free recipes, you will find: Homey and comforting foods in the American and European style, such as a Rustic Pot Pie Topped with Chive Biscuits and a Ziti with Mushroom and Bell Pepper Ragu East Asian, South and Southeast Asian, and Mexican/Latin dishes Appealing bean dishes such as a Crockery Cassoulet and a Greek-Style Beans with Tomatoes and Spinach Eighteen robust chilis and stews, including a warming Chipotle Black Bean Chili with Winter Squash and a surprising but yummy Seitan Stroganoff Snacks and appetizers, desserts, breads and breakfasts, and even drinks Combining the convenience of the slow cooker with the health and environmental benefits of vegan eating, Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker is a must-have resource, whether you live a completely vegan lifestyle or are looking to incorporate more meatless meals into your busy life. Editorial Reviews About the Author Robin Robertson is a veteran restaurant chef, cooking teacher, and an acclaimed writer. She pens a regular column for VegNews Magazine and has written for Vegetarian Times, Health Naturally, Restaurant Business, National Culinary Review, American Culinary Federation Magazine, and Better Nutrition. She has written numerous cookbooks including the best-selling titles Vegan Planet, Vegan on the Cheap, and Quick-Fix Vegan. Robertson currently writes, promotes her books, and teaches classes on her innovative vegan cuisine from her home in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where she lives with her husband and two cats. Her website is robinrobertson.com. Excerpt. ® Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Introduction The irresistible appeal of a slow-cooker is its convenience and simplicity. Turn it on, and it cooks dinner while you do other things. You have no pot to watch. It doesnt burn or spill over. Just set it and let it do its work. Next thing you know, your kitchen smells heavenly, like a home-cooked meal, and you feel like your personal chef did all the work. Slow-cookers first appeared in the 1970s, and you could get your crock pot in harvest gold, avocado green, or maybe decorated with orange flowers. Back then, the Crock-Pot (as the Rival Company, which is now a brand of Sunbeam Products, trademarked it) was mostly favored for cooking tough cuts of meat. The Crock-Pot left the limelight for a while, but in 2002, when I wrote my first slow-cooker cookbook (Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, The Harvard Common Press), slow-cookers were enjoying a comeback. The goal of my first slow cooker book was to show how versatile slow-cookers are for vegetarian cooking and can be used to prepare everything from breakfast to dessert. Fast forward ten years from that first book, and the popularity of slow-cookers shows no sign of waning. In addition, more people are enjoying a plant-based diet than ever before. Since that first slow-cooker cookbook was published, I've written many other titles, but I never stopped developing new recipes, discovering new techniques, and exploring new ideas for vegan slow-cooking. As I've explored new ways to use the slow-cooker for plant-based meals, I've been continually amazed at the effectiveness of slow cookers for vegan recipes. Over the years, I have developed scores of new recipes and explored the worlds cuisines to discover more creative ways to prepare food using the slow-cooker method. What I came up with was enough to fill another book. I'm pleased and proud, therefore, to present this new book to you. It contains more than 200 recipes using only plant-based ingredients. I've also included pages of basic information and lots of new tips and pointers for making the most of your slow cooker experience. I've worked hard to make the recipes accessible using most sizes of slow-cookers. In addition to being 100 percent plant-based, many of the recipes are also gluten-free, soy-free, or low in fat. We all know that a slow-cooker is ideal for cooking beans, soups, and stews, but as you explore the pages of Fresh From the Vegan Slow-Cooker, you'll discover a whole new slow-cooking world. The slow-cooker can be used to make braised vegetable dishes, comforting casseroles, luxurious risottos, and fun dips and snacks. It can even be used to bake potatoes, breads, pates, and desserts. With chapters on everything from appetizers to main dishes, desserts, and beverages, theres something for everyones breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My new book picks up where my previous book left off and elevates vegan slow-cooking to a higher level. I love to cook in my slow-cooker, and I hope that after you try some of these recipes, you will too.