holidays in the slow cooker, 3 recipes: breakfast, lunch/dinner

Holidays in the Slow Cooker

Every month, enjoy the simple but elegant pleasures of a delicious, easy-to-prepare meal.

Article By: Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

Busy or not, here we come. Every month, "A Cut Above" serves up new recipes, cooking tips and ideas for dishes that are elegant in taste and presentation, yet simple enough to prepare and enjoy in a snap.
Bruce is a trained chef. Which means that when we first met, he didn't have patience for kitchen gadgets. A knife and a wooden spoon — those were his tools. Otherwise, he had great cookware but contempt for most appliances.
Which included slow cookers and all those fantastic braises that come out of them. "You can do that in a pot," he said.
My Southern roots were not to be denied. You might be able to make that in a pot, but a slow cooker makes it better. There's something about that slow heat, the even cooking, and the way every single drop stays in the stew.
I made a chili one day years ago when he was out running errands for the day. "What smells so great?" he asked when he got home.
Voilà, a convert.
Especially during the holidays. When the house is full of company, nothing beats this kitchen appliance for making a meal easy.
So here are three dishes for the month ahead: a wintry, root-vegetable side dish that'll go well with whatever you're fixing for dinner or a holiday meal; a chili for those times when you'd rather not fuss at the stove (probably because you've cooked enough already); and even a breakfast oatmeal that's ready whenever your guests and family get up, a starter for the chilly day ahead.
Break out the slow cooker! It's the one appliance even a trained chef can learn to love.
About the Slow-Cooker Spiced Roots
Here's a great side dish for your next holiday meal. Best of all, you don't have to take up valuable oven space when the turkey or roast beef is waiting to go in. Rutabagas are large and round, sometimes sold as yellow turnips, and almost always waxed for storage. Make sure you get every bit of the peel off the root before you cube and cook it.

Slow-Cooker Spiced Roots

Makes 8 servings 

PointsPlus™ 
value | 5 per serving

Ingredients

• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch sections
• 5 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch sections
• 1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 8 pitted prunes
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• About 1 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth (or more as necessary)

Instructions

• 1. Mix the carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, prunes, honey, orange zest, cinnamon and salt in a 3-quart (or larger) slow cooker.
• 2. Pour in the broth so that it comes halfway up the vegetables.
• 3. Cover and cook on low until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 hours.
• Serving size: 1 cup

About the Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili 
This vegetarian chili will let you enjoy your holiday guests without spending too much time in the kitchen: Toss everything into the slow cooker and let it go until it's utterly irresistible. Better still, make it a day ahead and so the flavors can fully develop in the fridge overnight.
Serve with minced red onion, cilantro leaves, or even a little low-fat sour cream on the side to garnish the bowls. Want to add even more flavor? Crumble in 1/2 pound turkey sausage, casings removed, along with the other ingredients. (That'll increase the PointsPlus™
values to 5 per serving.)

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili

Makes 8 servings 

PointsPlus™
value | 4 per serving

Ingredients

• 8 cups peeled, seeded, diced butternut squash (about 2 medium butternut squashes)
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 2 (15-oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (28-oz) can reduced-sodium diced tomatoes
• 1 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

• 1. Mix everything together in a 3-quart (or larger) slow cooker.
• 2. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the squash is tender. .
• Serving size: 1 1/2 cups
  

About the Slow-Cooker Pumpkin OatmealSteel-cut oats are a favorite because of their nutty, firm texture. But who has the time to make them, what with all the soaking, roasting and simmering? The answer lies in a slow cooker. Here's a winter-morning warmer, perfect for that holiday weekend when the house is full of guests.

Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Oatmeal

Makes 8 servings

PointsPlus® 
value | 5 per serving

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 3 cups peeled, seeded, diced pumpkin, preferably from pie pumpkins or sugar pumpkins
• 1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground or grated nutmeg

Instructions

• 1. Put everything in a 3- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir well.
• 2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Stir well before serving.
• Serving size: 1 cup