Vegetable Stock, Honey Oatmeal Bread, Hominy and Vegetable Soup... 3 crock-pot meal

Once a week I try to slip a vegetarian dinner past my family of 4 males. Sometimes it goes over well, but most times the vegetarian meals are a flop. So why is it I keep trying?

For as much or in reality as little as I have used my crock pot in the past I have found that soup recipes are easy to convert to crock pot meals. Usually you just toss all of the ingredients into the crock pot and let it cook all or half a day usually on low.

Tonight's dinner is a recipe I found in Crescent Dragonwagon's book Passionate Vegetarian, it's called Posole-Bean Soup-Stew with New World Vegetables. I started this morning with making 2 quarts of home made vegetable stock in the crock pot. I am breaking in a new to me crock pot given to me from a dear friend, she knew I would use it.

VEGETABLE STOCK

2 quarts water

3-4 ribs celery broken

3-4 carrots broken

2 onions peeled and cut in half

fresh parsley

5-6 cloves fresh garlic

2 bay leaves

peppercorns

salt

pickling spices

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low. Strain vegetables and toss, reserve liquid aka stock.

 *****

In the mean time I put the ingredients into the bread maker for a honey wheat and oat bread I am going to try and cook in the crock pot for the first time. From what I am reading I can put a pound of fresh bread dough in a parchment lined crock pot (I sprayed the crock pot with "Pam" instead) and cook for an hour to an hour and a half, on low, till the bread is cooked through. I'm always up for an experiment.

HONEY WHEAT AND OAT BREAD

1 c warm water

3/4 c honey

1 1/2 t active dry yeast

1 1/2 c white flour

1 1/2-2 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c. uncooked regular oats

2 T oil

1 t salt

Start by combining the first 3 ingredients, once it is all bubbly you can add the other ingredients and knead till well combined and smooth, about 10 minutes. Put dough in greased/oiled bowl, with a damp cloth on top, in a warm location and let rise, till the dough doubles in size; about one hour.. or just use your bread maker to make the dough.

Yes, I am aware you can bake bread in your bread maker but it never seems to come out the way I like it.

Place dough in a parchment lined or "Pam" sprayed crock pot, sprinkle with oats and cook on low one to one and one half hours till very lightly golden. Or bake in a bread pan 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

POSOLE-BEAN  SOUP-STEW WITH NEW WORLD VEGETABLES

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 serrano chiles, finely diced (seeds and membranes removed for mildness or left in for extra heat)

2 ribs celery, diced

4 cups vegetable stock

1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice

1/2 pound green beans, stemmed and cut into 1-inch lengths

2 carrots, scrubbed, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

2 large potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 3/4-inch dice

1 butternut squash, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch dice

1 can (16 ounces) hominy, rinsed and drained

1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/4 cup cooked pinto beans or black-eyed peas, or one 15-ounce can, well drained

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar or honey or agave syrup (you may need more, I like the soup a little sweeter)

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 

garlic and onion powder to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Baked or fried corn chips (optional)
Grated cheddar cheese, dairy or soy (optional)

Add all ingredients to crock-pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. I would wait till the last hour of cooking to add the beans, hominy, green beans and zucchini, they will retain their texture better this way. 

 

HINT: You could add turnip, cabbage, kale, peanut butter, sausage, kielbasa or ham to this recipe easy, I think my guys would much prefer it with meat in it.

*****

The bread was banging as they say, a definite keeper for the recipe box. This bread would be nice for breakfast, toasted with a little peanut butter and jam... or just butter would work as well.

As far as the soup goes, I obviously went a little free flow with the vegetables but the end product was pretty good. I probably doubled the amount of vegetables the recipe called for, I did double the beans; I probably should have doubled the hominy as well. I like it; now to see how the men in my life feel about it. If you like vegetables, or happen to be a vegetarian or vegan or just trying to eat more non meat based dinners this is at least worth a try or add to your recipe box.

Enjoy!!