Introduction The irresistible appeal of a slow-cooker is its convenience and simplicity. Turn it on, and it cooks dinner while you do other things. You have no pot to watch. It doesnt burn or spill over. Just set it and let it do its work. Next thing you know, your kitchen smells heavenly, like a home-cooked meal, and you feel like your personal chef did all the work. Slow-cookers first appeared in the 1970s, and you could get your crock pot in harvest gold, avocado green, or maybe decorated with orange flowers. Back then, the Crock-Pot (as the Rival Company, which is now a brand of Sunbeam Products, trademarked it) was mostly favored for cooking tough cuts of meat. The Crock-Pot left the limelight for a while, but in 2002, when I wrote my first slow-cooker cookbook
(Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, The Harvard Common Press), slow-cookers were enjoying a comeback. The goal of my first slow cooker book was to show how versatile slow-cookers are for vegetarian cooking and can be used to prepare everything from breakfast to dessert. Fast forward ten years from that first book, and the popularity of slow-cookers shows no sign of waning. In addition, more people are enjoying a plant-based diet than ever before. Since that first slow-cooker cookbook was published, I've written many other titles, but I never stopped developing new recipes, discovering new techniques, and exploring new ideas for vegan slow-cooking. As I've explored new ways to use the slow-cooker for plant-based meals, I've been continually amazed at the effectiveness of slow cookers for vegan recipes. Over the years, I have developed scores of new recipes and explored the worlds cuisines to discover more creative ways to prepare food using the slow-cooker method. What I came up with was enough to fill another book. I'm pleased and proud, therefore, to present this new book to you. It contains more than 200 recipes using only plant-based ingredients. I've also included pages of basic information and lots of new tips and pointers for making the most of your slow cooker experience. I've worked hard to make the recipes accessible using most sizes of slow-cookers. In addition to being 100 percent plant-based, many of the recipes are also gluten-free, soy-free, or low in fat. We all know that a slow-cooker is ideal for cooking beans, soups, and stews, but as you explore the pages of
Fresh From the Vegan Slow-Cooker, you'll discover a whole new slow-cooking world. The slow-cooker can be used to make braised vegetable dishes, comforting casseroles, luxurious risottos, and fun dips and snacks. It can even be used to bake potatoes, breads, pates, and desserts.
With chapters on everything from appetizers to main dishes, desserts, and beverages, theres something for everyones breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My new book picks up where my previous book left off and elevates vegan slow-cooking to a higher level. I love to cook in my slow-cooker, and I hope that after you try some of these recipes, you will too.