Healthy slow cooker stew with herbs and autumn vegetables

Healthy slow cooker stew with herbs and autumn vegetables

Slow cookers are the best investment for cooking stews and soups on a cool fall day. A little planning ahead will free up hours during the day for other projects.

Squash and zucchini are still plentiful and make great one-pot appetizers. Add some of your favorite vegetables and lots of spices and herbs and prepare for the feast.

Attention: Remember to cut your vegetables into small pieces for the slow cooker. This stew is a good staple for those limiting their use of potatoes and pasta. full of nutrition and good taste and hearty enough to satisfy any appetite.

Mediterranean stew

2 cups sliced ​​zucchini

I can drain and rinse chickpeas

1 medium acorn or butternut squash, diced

1 pkg. frozen okra pieces

2 cups eggplant, unpeeled and diced

1 cup chopped onion

1 large carrot, thinly sliced

1 large tomato, chopped

Combine the following and mix with the above ingredients in slow cooker.

½ cup raisins

1 minced garlic clove

¼ teaspoon each: red pepper, ground cinnamon, paprika

½ teaspoon each: turmeric, cumin

8 ounces of tomato sauce

½ cup water or low-sodium broth

Cover and cook in slow cooker on low for 8 to 10 hours. Vegetables should be tender but not too soft. This stew is very tasty; good on its own with crackers or cornbread. It's especially good when spooned over steaming rice or couscous.

When trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is important to limit your intake of sodium and fats. Soups and stews do just that when prepared correctly without sacrificing flavor. Familiarize yourself with natural juices from fruits and vegetables that you can use in cooking instead of tossing them. A slow cooker adds moisture, reducing the need to add fats. This type of cooking also enhances the natural flavor of food because it is cooked slowly.

Economically, it's good to find food in season. I've been sniffing a few pumpkins and other foods for years. Now I realize how nutritious many of them are and how delicious they are when prepared correctly. It has become a joke in our house to see what mom “pulled in to feed us.”

I hope you'll join me in experimenting with new foods and combinations that work for your family and those in your care.