Mediterranean Stew

Ingredients:
1 eggplant -- chopped
2 zucchini -- chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded/chopped
1 onion -- chopped
1 large can of dicted tomatoes
2 cans garbanzo beans -- (14 oz.) drained/rinsed
1 Tbs oregano
Salt/pepper to taste
1 can artichoke hearts packed in water -- (14 oz.) drained/quartered (I used two because I'm an artichoke nut)

Directions:
Add all ingredients to the crock pot andcook on low for 8 hours.

Tips:
Can be served over rice or noodles or by itself. Spice it up with a little red pepper flakes. Go ahead you're not driving.

Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
4 cups onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoons salt
4 medium potatoes, not peeled, thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, minced
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
4 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper
cheddar or swiss cheese

Directions:

1. In a large pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and lightly browned. Transfer to a crockpot
3. Add the potatoes, broth fennel, caraway seeds, and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
4. Cook on high for 4-5 hours.
5. Serve with cheese on top.

Tips:

Let this one sit overnight... it is pretty good right after it's made, but AWESOME the next day.

Pumpkin Parmigiano Soup

With Thanksgiving being this week, I figured it was time to try my hand at a pumpkin soup. This was knock-me-off-my-feet-delicious.

Ingredients:
2 tbl. olive oil
1 large onion, cut into 1/8 inch dice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can 100% pure pumpkin
1 qt. vegetable broth
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 cup cream
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet, add onion and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook a few seconds. Mix in pumpkin until everyone gets to know each other, then transfer that into the crockpot. Stir in broth, nutmeg, salt and pepper, cover and cook 3-4 hours on high, or 6 to 8 hours on low. Right before you are going to serve it mix in the cream and parmesan cheese

Tips:
I ate mine with little cheddar bunnies on top-- the extra cheesy cracker flavor was a great complement.

Satay

I plan on trying this one out this weekend, so I may be a little premature in posting. If it sucks I promise to take it down, but hooray for me for being so optimistic!

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup REAL peanut butter
6 tbl. brown sugar
6 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 large sweet onion, peeled, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 green or red peppers or combination, seeded, cored and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbls plus 2 tsps soy sauce
2 tsps chili paste
4 tbls. lime juice

Directions:
Add all ingredients except the lime juice to the crock. Stir well.. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 or high for 3-4 . Stir in lime juice. Add more water if thinner consistency is desired. Serve warm over rice.

Vegetarian Southwestern Stew

This one is of my own creation!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons light olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon light olive oil
1 small onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 bell peppers, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (or a hunk of the refrigerated stuff)
1 can of corn
1 can of chopped green chiles
2 15.5-oz cans of pinto beans, drained
2 cans diced tomatoes
3 jalapenos, minced (with seeds removed)
1 tablespoon tamari or 1 tablespoon other soy sauce
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. In a skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and carrot about 5 minutes, until softened.
2. Lightly oil a 3 1/2 - 4 quart slow cooker with 1 tsp oil.
3. Transfer the onions and carrot to the cooker, and add everything else in there!
5. Cool on Low for 5 hours

Serves: 4

Tips: Goes great over rice or crushed tortilla chips, and with a little cheddar cheese and sour cream (get used to hearing these serving suggestions)

Surprise! It's Chili!

The workhorse of vegetarian crockpotting-- CHILI. This version has a lot more veggies than other recipes I've seen, and a nice combination of canned and fresh items, After all, I'm all for "easy," but I'm not all for "lazy and loaded with salt."

Ingredients:
1 (19 ounce) can black bean soup
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian baked beans
1 (14.5 ounce) can chopped tomatoes in puree
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 onion, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil

Directions: Throw all of this stuff into a large slowcooker and let it cook on "HIGH" for at least 2 hours.

Servings: 8

Tips: Serve over rice, or, don't overthink it -- crushed tortilla chips. Some cheddar cheese and sour cream don't hurt, either