Crockpot Party!

This past Friday, one of the new graduate students had a crock pot party at his apartment. Everyone was bringing over crock pot creations to share. Inspite of my crock potting skillz, my offerings did not turn out as I wanted.


Brownie Pudding Goo


Spinach Artichoke dip


Tatertot casserole

Recipes

Brownie Pudding

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Tatertot Casserole
frozen tater tots or hash browns
cream of mushroom soup (I tried to make my own with coconut creamer, but it did not turn out well)
TVP or frozen Boca crumbles (I prefer the boca crumbles
frozen spinach

Mix together in a crock pot crock. Heat on low for about 3 hours. Stir occasionally. Season to taste, salt, black pepper, chipotle powder, etc.

Notes
Brownie Pudding - I accidentally mixed together the pudding part of the recipe into the brownie part. You are supposed to just put it over top and cover the crock pot. So, it turned out to be brownie goo, instead of brownie pudding. It was still good, just not what I expected. Meh.

Spinach Artichoke Dip - this one is always good. Success!

Tatertot Casserole - I put this together in the crock pot on a whim. I was going to do lentil soup, or falafel, but I thought I would try this. I tried to make my own cream of mushroom soup since I couldn't find a non-dairy version at the store. I sauteed up some diced mushrooms, added coconut creamer, added corn starch, then brought to a boil until thickened. I mixed that with the hashbrowns and reconstituted TVP (the hippy store did not have frozen crumbles) and then cooked for a few hours. I added some frozen spinach at the end to give some color and maybe flavor. This came out being so bland and boring. I even added some maple syrup to bring out a bit of sweetness. My lovely husband took care of throwing away the entire 3 qt pot of this. I would like to try this again, but I think I need to work on the cream of mushroom soup part. FAIL

Orzo Pasta Salad

This is another recipe from Supermarket Vegan. I really really like this book. It doesn't have any pictures, but it has a great amount of recipes easy enough to do when ever you have a little bit of time to cook. My only complaint is the seasonings are never high enough, although, I think I say that about every recipe I try.





Ingredients
orzo pasta
lemon juice
olive oil
crushed garlic cloves
salt
black pepper
fresh basil
kalamata or other cured olives (I used a mixture from the olive bar)
artichoke hearts
frozen corn
green onions

Method
Boil orzo until tender, about 8 - 10 minutes. Place the frozen corn in the colander and slowly pour the hot pasta cooking water over the corn. Drain the orzo. Leave the strainer over the sink while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

In the still warm saucepan, place it on the same warm burner and add the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Stir until the oil smells like garlic. Add the orzo/corn mixture as well as the other ingredients. Stir and either serve warm or refrigerate for three hours.

I wish I had added some red pepper flakes when I was heating up the oil. Other then that, it was delicious. I might add smoked tofu next time I make it, for some added protein.

My husband gave this one two thumbs up.

White bean and Artichoke Tortillas

In my effort to try and stick to my menu plan as much as possible, I have been using my cookbooks a lot more. One of my favorite books currently is Supermaket Vegan. The recipes are simple and delicious. It is a good book for everyday cooking.



This is supposed to be some sort of "quesadilla" where the white beans take the place of the cheese. I would just call it white bean hummus on tortillas.

Ingredients
3 - 4 garlic cloves chopped
1 - 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 cup white beans (cooked in the crock pot)
salt/pepper
6 jarred artichoke hearts, chopped
4 soft taco tortillas

Method
Heat the garlic and rosemary in a small pan with a small amount of olive until brown and fragrant. Add the white beans and mash up most of the beans while mixing in the other flavors. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Place a tortilla on the pan top with half the bean mixture, three of the chopped artichoke hearts, and a few squirts of sriracha. Put the other tortilla on top and heat through, turning once. Repeat with the other tortillas and top with fresh basil.

The recipe also called for sun-dried tomatoes, but I used up the last of mine in the sun-dried tomato pesto the night before.

I am super pleased with how this turned out.

The husband thought this would make a good spread to go on bread or pita instead of the tortillas.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Another win for the slow cooker tonight. My friend was having a game night over at her house and I had decided to bring something snacky to share. She is trying out veganism for a month and every potluck dish was vegan, which is pretty awesome.

I have no picture, because it was devoured and it doesn't look that appetizing.

Total cooktime: about 2 hours

Ingredients:
8 oz marinated artichoke hearts
10 oz frozen spinach
8 oz vegan cream cheese
juice from 1/2 a lemon
Sriracha sauce
salt and black pepper

Cook spinach according to package directions. Chop up the artichoke hearts to bite sized pieces. Add everything to the slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low for a few hours. I think we started to eat it after about an hour and it was heated through.

Served with some water crackers, it was delicious.