Crock-Pot Baked Potatoes

Baked Potato with Vegetarian Chili and a side of Broccoli 

It's been hot around here and the last thing I wanted to do was heat up the house making baked potatoes all afternoon... but I REALLY wanted baked potatoes.  I decided to try them out in the crock-pot and I had great success.  After making these I read a variety of reviews saying anything from these turned out great, to they didn't work at all.  All I can say is they turned out great for me, but I suppose you should make them at your own risk.

Crock-Pot Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

Potatoes

Foil

Crock-Pot

Toppings of Choice

 Make sure each potato is wrapped tightly in foil with no exposed skin.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Instructions:

Scrub your potatoes well and make sure to dry thoroughly.  Wrap each potato in foil making sure they are tight with no exposed skin.  Place potatoes into crock-pot and cook on low for 8 hours.  When it's time for dinner pop them out, remove the foil, and enjoy your yummy baked potato with your favorite toppings!

 

Be careful, these babies are steamy hot!

Everyone has their favorite baked potato toppings.  Do you love the classic: butter, cheese, bacon, and sour cream?  Are you more a fan of veggie toppings?  I personally am a fan of the chili baked potato which I enjoyed here.  I threw a can of Trader Joe's Vegetarian Chili on the stove and then spooned it onto our potatoes with a side of fresh organic steamed broccoli.  

It was such an easy quick dinner, great for a night when you have somewhere to go and not a lot of prep time.  These tasted just like a baked potato that had been in the oven for hours.  The girls gave them 2 thumbs up and I'd definitely make them again!

 

Creamy Mushroom Pasta {Vegan & Gluten-Free}

Gluten Free Brown Rice Pasta with creamy mushroom and asparagus sauce.

Last week I was in the mood for a creamy pasta, which can be a bit difficult if you can't use dairy.  I decided to just play around and whip something up with some ingredients I had on hand.  You'll have to bear with me since I usually make things up as I go and don't write things down. I didn't decide to blog this until I was about to plate so I'll try my best to remember what I did and be as accurate as I can with the amount of ingredients.


Creamy Vegan Mushroom Pasta

Ingredients:

1 T Earth Balance
1 Onion - Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic - Minced
2 cups Mushrooms
2 cups Asparagus
1 tsp Thyme
Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper - to taste
1/2 - 1 cup Light Veggie Stock (I used one that didn't contain tomato)
1 1/2 cups Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1 tsp Cornstarch
2 tsp Water
1 package Brown Rice Pasta (or pasta of choice)

Occasionally stir cooked pasta with veggie sauce to incorporate flavors.

Instructions:

Melt earth balance in pan and cook onions until they are translucent (about 5-6 mins) add mushrooms (I used a full bag of pre-sliced from TJ's) and cook for about 10 minutes then add asparagus (chopped into 2" pieces) and garlic and cook until asparagus is done.

Add veg stock (I used organic no-chicken broth) as needed to keep veggies from burning.  When veggies are done add the remaining veg stock, thyme, S&P.  Add coconut milk to your sauce - making sure it's unsweetened.

Create your cornstarch mixture by adding 2 tsp cold water to 1 tsp cornstarch in a separate bowl.  Once that's combined add it to your sauce to thicken and stir it all to combine.

In a separate pot boil your water, add salt, and cook your pasta as directed making sure not to overcook.  When pasta is complete strain and transfer pasta to your sauce and mix it to incorporate.  Keep it on low heat for about 5-10 mins while occasionally mixing to incorporate the flavor into the pasta.

Plate and serve immediately enjoying your yummy creamy pasta goodness!

 

Plate and serve immediately then watch it disappear from everyone's plates!