Cook it Up: The Mediterranean Slow Cooker Cookbook

 
Cook it Up – A Cookbook Challenge

Trish is hosting a fun event to encourage us all to dig a bit deeper into our cookbooks. So I decided to join the fun and check out a Mediterranean cookbook.

 

The Mediterranean Slow Cooker Cookbook

by Salinas Press

★★★

 

I am a huge fan of my slow cooker. When everyone in your household works full time, having a slow cooker can be the difference between a stressful night and a relaxing meal. Lately I’ve been on a Mediterranean food kick, so this was a perfect pairing.

 

There are 101 recipes split into different categories. I love that the ingredients focus on fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, whole grains and heart-healthy fats. I love using my slow cooker, but I am not a fan of recipes that tell you to dump in three cans of condensed soup and a stick of butter. Eating a meal that I cook fresh in the evening lets me control the ingredients I’m using, so I love that this slow cooker cookbook does too.

 

(Sausage Fennel Minestrone)

Now the down side to that is that from what I saw most of the recipes require a lot of prep work. For me, this isn’t a deal breaker, it just depends on my mood. If I make a slow cooker recipe that has lots of prep, I make the whole thing the night before and pop it in the fridge. Then in the morning I just start up the slow cooker. 

One aspect I loved about the book was the inclusion of slow cooker tips at the beginning of the book. I’m new enough to the world of cooking that I learn something new every time I read one of those. One thing I disliked was the prep time and cook times were not included in each recipe. I also wish that I’d had a hardcopy of the cookbook instead of an e-book. I like to make notes on my recipes while cooking and I really like seeing photos of the finished product with each review. I definitely don’t think cooking with e-cookbooks works well for me.

There were a ton of soup recipes that looked great, but the first one I tried was the Sausage Fennel Minestrone. It turned out well, great flavor and consistency. It did take a ton of prep work and in the end the Huz and I both thought it was good but not worth the work. I did love that it got me to use a few ingredients that are outside of my comfort zone like fennel and orecchiette pasta.

BOTTOM LINE: A good cookbook if you love Mediterranean food, which I do. A little too much prep work for some people and it would definitely work better as a hardcopy cookbook instead of an e-book. I'm looking forward to trying more recipes from it.

 

I received an ebook version of the cookbook for an honest review.
 

Photo of minetrone by moi.

365 Slow Cooker Suppers

(Split Pea and Ham Soup)  

In January I started a new job and though I'm loving it, the hours and the commute are a bit longer. Consequently I'm not always in the mood to cook by the time I get home. After a couple weeks of getting home and just wanting to make frozen pizza or go out to dinner, I realized I needed to find another solution to eat a little healthier. I'm not a huge cookbook person and tend to just get the recipes I want online, but I'd had my eye on the 365 Slow Cooker Suppers cookbook for a while. I got a copy with the hope that I could combine the ingredients in the crock pot the night before (after I have time to relax after work) then in the mornings I would just need to start the slow cooker and it would be ready when I got home.

 (Honey Lime Chicken Soft Tacos) 

 

Every single recipe in the cookbook is made in a slow cooker and they don't require a ton of prep work, which I love. There's a great variety in the recipes offered, everything from Miso salmon to chicken piccata. So far I love it and it's a big improvement as far as saving my sanity after work. The cookbook starts with a huge list of ingredients that you might want to keep on hand, which is so incredibly helpful. It's also splits the recipes into your basic poultry, beef, veggie sections, so it's easy to navigate. One aspect I love is the author's notes on each recipe. She adds a few comments on each ones about her personal experience with it.

I read through the whole thing, bookmarking recipes I wanted to try, then I went through my pantry to check for ingredients and made a big grocery list of what I needed. I've already made half a dozen recipes from the book and have a few more I'm trying soon.

(Carrot and Coconut Bisque)

The split pea and ham soup is the runaway favorite so far. It's creamy and so good! We sprinkled some grated parmesan on top and it warms up really well the next day too. The honey lime chicken tacos had a great flavor and everyone liked them a lot. We used lots of cilantro and Nonfat Greek yogurt as toppings and we'll definitely be making those again! The honey Dijon beef stew wasn't as great. It turned out pretty well, but the red wine flavor was a little overwhelming and I have another beef stew recipe we like more.

The only bomb was the carrot and coconut bisque. It had the consistency of baby food with a weird spicy/sweet after taste. Honestly we are not picky eaters, but this one was awful. We ended up dumping it and making frozen pizza. You win some, you lose some.

Overall I'm really pleased with the cookbook and I am planning on making a couple of the recipes each week. We always end up with leftovers and that makes packing lunches easier too!
 

 (Mac and Cheese - not from the cookbook)

 

I also recently used my crock pot to make mac and cheese. I had never tried the crock pot liners before (the plastic sleeve you can put the crock pot in to make clean up easy) but it worked so well! I used the Reynolds brand. I won't use them all the time, but if I have a bunch of people over it would be perfect! That way you aren't scrubbing out a crock pot while you're guest are hanging out in the other room.
 
Anyway, a few people on Instagram asked for the mac and cheese recipe, so here it is courtesy of the Huz' cousin.
 

Mac n Cheese

Ingredients:

- 4 oz cooked macaroni

- 6 oz evaporated milk

- 3/4 cup milk

- 1/8 cup melted butter

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 egg

- 2 cups shredded cheese

Spray the crock pot first then combine all ingredients together and cook on low for 3 hours. I sometimes sprinkle bread crumbs on top.  (I mixed the both kinds of milk, butter, salt, and egg in a bowl before adding it to the crock pot.)

Photos by moi.                                                                                                         

 

p.s. I posted this as part of Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking!

 

p.p.s. I was not given the cookbook to review and I get nothing if you get a copy. I just wanted to share my thoughts on it.

 

An Amateur Cook

(Asparagus Soup and Strawberry Freezer Jam)

Over the past couple years I have slowly been learning how to cook. For years my version of cooking was scrambled eggs if I was feeling fancy, but lately I've found that I really enjoy it when I have the time. There's something so enjoyable about taking a pile of ingredients, grabbing a glass of wine and putting on an audiobook and an hour later you have something delicious. 

I'm only cooking for me and the Huz, so I get to cook with any spices and ingredients I want. Neither of us are really picky eaters and if I'm not in the mood to cook we end up ordering Chinese or eating at our favorite Mexican restaurant (more often than I'd like to admit). Because there's no pressure to cook three meals a day for a big family I've been able to learn at my own pace, which I love.

(Ratatouille and Mushroom Risotto)

This summer I've been using a lot of recipes from an actual cookbook (unusual for me, I find most recipes online). It's called Harvest Eating and is filled with recipes for using whatever is growing locally at that time. 

We have a very small garden and we also get a local organic fruit and veggie bin every other week. Plus my wonderful mother-in-law gives us delicious homegrown items from her garden. So my recent cooking attempts have included a lot of fresh veggies. 

(Chicken Pot Pie and Beet Soup)

Some of our favorites have been the asparagus soup, ratatouille, chicken pot pie and mushroom risotto. The beet soup we made was completely gross. I also loved how the strawberry jam turned out and I couldn't believe it was so easy! 

Do you guys like to cook? I'd love to know what great recipes you all have!

p.s. I'm not a fan of reality TV, but I'm completely addicted to Masterchef. I love that it's about the actual cooking and not the peoples' personal lives. Anyone else watch it?

Photos by moi.