Nourish
THREE RECIPES YOU CAN MAKE IN YOUR SLOW COOKER
Do you ever feel like being busy and eating healthy are mutually exclusive? They don’t have to be! We know that the last thing you want to do after a long day is spend hours in the kitchen prepping and cooking, so we’ve come up with a solution: switching up our favorite barre3 recipes to make them slow-cooker friendly.
Check out our three favorite recipes below—but before you toss everything into that magical vessel and call it a meal, here are a few tips to to keep in mind when adapting any recipe for a slow cooker:
- Save the greens for last. Leafy greens like kale and spinach and herbs like parsley and cilantro can get wilty and slimy if they sit in the slow cooker all day. To keep them bright and help them retain some of their structure, add them to your dish a few minutes before it’s finished cooking, or stir them in just before serving.
- Tame your onions. Foods from the allium family, including onions, garlic, and shallots, tend to get extra intense in the slow cooker. You can tame the flavor by sautéing the onions first, or, if you don’t have time for that, simply reduce the amount by half of what your recipe calls for.
- Go easy on the broth. Liquid doesn’t cook out of a soup or stew on the slow cooker the way it does on the stove. Accommodate for this by reducing the amount of liquid in your recipe by about 1/8th.
And if you happen to have time and would rather cook these dishes the traditional way, click on the recipe title for the original recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 medium butternut squash (about 6 cups), cut into ½-inch pieces
2 carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
½-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. curry powder
Salt and chili flakes to taste
1 quart vegetable stock or chicken stock, reduced a bit for the slow cooker
1/2 cup coconut milk, plus more for garnishing
2 cups cooked quinoa
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Cilantro and mint, for garnish
1 Tbs. (per serving) cashews, for garnish
SLOW-COOKER INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens up a bit, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute more, stirring constantly.
- Place all ingredients except cilantro, mint, cashews, scallions and a bit of the coconut milk in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
- Divide into bowls and garnish with cilantro, mint, cashews, and scallions. Drizzle with coconut milk and serve.
INGREDIENTS
4 tsp. virgin coconut oil
1 Tbl. cumin seeds
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
3/4 to 1 tsp. fine sea salt, to taste, plus a pinch
3 large cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 medium/large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch dice (about 3 cups)
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 (14-ounce) light coconut milk
1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
SLOW-COOKER INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. The oil it hot enough when a cumin seed sizzles when tossed into the pan. Add the cumin seeds and toast for about a minute, until fragrant and lightly darkened in color (be careful not to burn them).
- Place all ingredients except spinach in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours.
- Stir in the spinach, season to taste, divide between bowls, and serve over cooked greens, brown rice, or quinoa.
INGREDIENTS
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 chicken, 3-4 lbs., cut into 8 pieces (or a mixture of legs, thighs, and breasts)
Sea salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
The rind from 1 preserved lemon, rinsed in cold water, pulp discarded, rind cut into thin strips (if you don’t have preserved lemon, use whole thin slices of regular lemon)
1 cup green olives, pitted and halved
½ cup golden raisins
⅓ cup dried apricots, chopped
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place all ingredients except cilantro and parsley in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
- When finished, divide onto plates and garnish with cilantro and parsley.
Ready to get started with barre3? Find your local studio or join us online with a 15-day free trial.
Do you ever feel like being busy and eating healthy are mutually exclusive? They don’t have to be! We know that the last thing you want to do after a long day is spend hours in the kitchen prepping and cooking, so we’ve come up with a solution: switching up our favorite barre3 recipes to make them slow-cooker friendly.
Check out our three favorite recipes below—but before you toss everything into that magical vessel and call it a meal, here are a few tips to to keep in mind when adapting any recipe for a slow cooker:
- Save the greens for last. Leafy greens like kale and spinach and herbs like parsley and cilantro can get wilty and slimy if they sit in the slow cooker all day. To keep them bright and help them retain some of their structure, add them to your dish a few minutes before it’s finished cooking, or stir them in just before serving.
- Tame your onions. Foods from the allium family, including onions, garlic, and shallots, tend to get extra intense in the slow cooker. You can tame the flavor by sautéing the onions first, or, if you don’t have time for that, simply reduce the amount by half of what your recipe calls for.
- Go easy on the broth. Liquid doesn’t cook out of a soup or stew on the slow cooker the way it does on the stove. Accommodate for this by reducing the amount of liquid in your recipe by about 1/8th.
And if you happen to have time and would rather cook these dishes the traditional way, click on the recipe title for the original recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 medium butternut squash (about 6 cups), cut into ½-inch pieces
2 carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
½-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. curry powder
Salt and chili flakes to taste
1 quart vegetable stock or chicken stock, reduced a bit for the slow cooker
1/2 cup coconut milk, plus more for garnishing
2 cups cooked quinoa
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Cilantro and mint, for garnish
1 Tbs. (per serving) cashews, for garnish
SLOW-COOKER INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens up a bit, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute more, stirring constantly.
- Place all ingredients except cilantro, mint, cashews, scallions and a bit of the coconut milk in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
- Divide into bowls and garnish with cilantro, mint, cashews, and scallions. Drizzle with coconut milk and serve.
INGREDIENTS
4 tsp. virgin coconut oil
1 Tbl. cumin seeds
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
3/4 to 1 tsp. fine sea salt, to taste, plus a pinch
3 large cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 medium/large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch dice (about 3 cups)
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 (14-ounce) light coconut milk
1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
SLOW-COOKER INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. The oil it hot enough when a cumin seed sizzles when tossed into the pan. Add the cumin seeds and toast for about a minute, until fragrant and lightly darkened in color (be careful not to burn them).
- Place all ingredients except spinach in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours.
- Stir in the spinach, season to taste, divide between bowls, and serve over cooked greens, brown rice, or quinoa.
INGREDIENTS
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 chicken, 3-4 lbs., cut into 8 pieces (or a mixture of legs, thighs, and breasts)
Sea salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
The rind from 1 preserved lemon, rinsed in cold water, pulp discarded, rind cut into thin strips (if you don’t have preserved lemon, use whole thin slices of regular lemon)
1 cup green olives, pitted and halved
½ cup golden raisins
⅓ cup dried apricots, chopped
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place all ingredients except cilantro and parsley in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
- When finished, divide onto plates and garnish with cilantro and parsley.
Ready to get started with barre3? Find your local studio or join us online with a 15-day free trial.
