Slow Cooking for Two: The Ultimate Guide to Slow Cooking With 45 Easy to Prepare Recipes for Two - Lori Jimenes (2016)
Chapter 2. SLOW COOKED LUNCH RECIPES
Lunch is a very important meal; unfortunately, modern life forces so many of us to grab a quick sandwich and rush back to the office. However, you can prepare your lunch beforehand and slow cook it, so you will make sure that you don’t just have a much healthier meal, but a cheaper and more nutritious one as well. You can just re-heat your meal at work or, in some cases, even eat it cold. So, the recipes in this chapter are not only for the weekend, but with a bit of organisation, you can cook them in advance and put them in your lunch box ready to eat.
7. Crustless Mediterranean quiche
Crustless Mediterranean quiche[7]
This quiche is excellent for your lunch, as it has no crust, thus you will feel less heavy and drowsy after eating it, and it is packed with the wonderful flavours of the Mediterranean as well as the nutrients of its diet.
Ingredients:
2 medium eggs
100 ml (1/2 cup) of milk
1 cup of fresh spinach leaves
90 grammes (3 oz) of feta cheese
30 grammes (1 oz) of roasted red peppers
A clove of garlic
About 12 basil leaves
120 grammes (4 oz) of cooked sausage crumbles
Salt and pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 5 hours
Break the eggs and beat them in a bowl.
Add the milk and incorporate it into the egg.
Season and mix.
Peel and crush the garlic.
Wash and cut the peppers into small squares.
Wash the spinach leaves.
Add the garlic, the cut pepper, the basil leaves, the garlic, the spinach and the sausage.
Mix gently.
Pour the mixture into your crock pot, slow cooker or saucepan, seal with the lid and cook on low fire for 5 hours before serving.
8. Slow cooked lemon chicken soup
Lemon chicken soup[8]
This is an absolutely delicious soup if you fancy a light but nutritious lunch.
Ingredients:
1 cup of shredded chicken
300 ml (10 oz) of chicken broth
Half a bunch of kale
A lemon
A small onion
20 ml (a tablespoon) of lemon juice
20 ml (a tablespoon) of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 6 hours
Peel and slice the onion very thinly.
Wash and cut the kale into 1 cm (1/2 inch) strips.
Put the chicken, half the kale and the onion in your crock pot, slow cooker or sauce pan.
Add the lemon juice and the zest of the lemon.
Add the broth and season.
Put the lid on your crock pot, slow cooker or saucepan and cook on low heat for 3 hours.
Add the other half of the kale and cook for 3 more hours before serving.
9. Slow cooked baked potatoes
Easy baked potatoes[9]
Baked potatoes can be cooked on your crock pot or slow cooker; the flavour will be the same, and this recipe is loaded with an amazing topping.
Ingredients:
2 russet potatoes
150 grammes (5 oz) of buttercup mushrooms
A small bunch of broccoli
100 ml (half a cup) of vegetable stock
60 ml (2 oz) of low fat yogurt (plain)
20 ml (a tablespoon) of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 7 to 9 hours
Wrap the potatoes in tin foil.
Put the potatoes in your crock pot, slow cooker or sauce pan.
Cover the potatoes with the stock.
Cook the potatoes until tender on low heat which should take between 6 and 8 hours, depending on their size.
In the meantime, slice the buttercup mushrooms and shred the broccoli into florets.
Drain the potatoes.
Allow the potatoes to cool; then remove the tinfoil.
Put the potatoes back into the slow cooker.
Cut the potatoes in the middle, season them and add the broccoli and mushrooms.
Drizzle the potatoes with the extra virgin olive oil and add the yogurt.
Put the lid on your crock pot, slow cooker or sauce pan and cook on low heat for another hour before serving.
10. Slow cooked chicken and herbs
Chicken and herbs[10]
This is a wonderful way of giving flavour to your chicken and cooking a healthy and nutritious lunch.
Ingredients:
4 chicken legs
24 cherry tomatoes
4 bay leaves
A bunch of thyme
A bunch of dill
10 grammes (2 teaspoons) of dry oregano
200 ml (a cup) of vegetable stock
20 ml (a tablespoon) of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 6 hours
Peel and crush the garlic.
Chop the thyme and dill thinly.
Put the bay leaves and the garlic into your crock pot, slow cooker or sauce pan.
Add the olive oil and sauté the garlic for 1 minute on medium heat.
Add the chicken and cook on medium heat for 5 more minutes.
Add the chopped thyme, the chopped dill and the oregano.
Add the vegetable stock and season.
Put the lid on your crock pot, slow cooker or sauce pan and cook on low heat for 4 hours.
Add the cherry tomatoes, put the lid back on and cook for 2 more hours before serving.
11. Slow cooked artichoke hearts
Artichoke hearts[11]
Artichokes are not just delicious but also very healthy; if you have an iron deficiency, they are excellent to bring your iron levels up. Here is a great slow cooking recipe for you.
Ingredients:
4 large artichokes
A tin of chopped tomatoes
About 10 basil leaves
A bunch of parsley
3 garlic cloves
20 ml (a tablespoon) of extra virgin olive oil
A lemon
200 ml (a cup) of vegetable stock
A bowl of water
Salt and pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 5 hours
Squeeze the juice of the lemon in the bowl of water.
Cut the artichokes in half and remove any thorns.
Put the artichokes in the bowl of water with the lemon juice.
Chop the parsley.
Peel and crush the garlic cloves.
Drain the artichokes and put them into your crock pot, slow cooker or sauce pan.
Add the crushed garlic, the olive oil, the basil leaves, the chopped tomatoes and the vegetable stock.
Season and stir.
Put the lid on and cook for 4 hours and 30 minutes on low heat.
Add the chopped parsley, stir and cook on low heat for another 30 minutes before serving.
12. Turkey breast in lemon sauce
Turkey breast in lemon sauce[12]
Here is a delicious way of cooking your turkey for a light summer lunch.
Ingredients:
2 turkey breasts
2 large lemons
100 ml (half a cup) of chicken stock
4 cloves of garlic
6 bay leaves
100 ml (half a cup) of milk
20 grammes (a tablespoon) of plain flour
20 ml (a tablespoon) of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 4 hours
Peel and crush the garlic.
Put the garlic, the bay leaves and the olive oil into your crock pot, slow cooker or sauce pan.
Squeeze in the juice from the lemons.
Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes.
Add the turkey breasts.
Add the stock and the milk.
Season and mix.
Add the flour and mix it in with the sauce.
Grate in the zest from one lemon.
Cook for 4 hours on low heat before serving.
13. Slow cooked salmon fillet
Salmon fillet[13]
Here is a simple salmon fillet recipe, light and healthy, that you can slow cook for a lovely summer meal.
Ingredients:
2 medium size salmon fillets with skin
600 ml (3 cups) of water
An onion
A carrot
A stalk of celery
3 cloves of garlic
About 6 bay leaves
About 20 peppercorns
Salt and pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 3 hours
Peel and crush the garlic.
Scale the salmon fillets but leave the skin on.
Peel the onion and cut it in half.
Peel the carrot.
Put the salmon fillets in your crock pot, slow cooker or saucepan.
Add the carrot, the onion, the garlic, the celery, the bay leaves and the peppercorns.
Cover the salmon with water and season.
Put the lid on and cook on low heat for 3 hours.
When serving, remove the salmon fillets from the liquid with a slice or spatula, drain it and serve it with some mustard, light mayonnaise and a fresh salad.
14. Slow cooked chicken and beans
Chicken and beans[14]
Here is a delicious chicken recipe, rich in flavour and nutrients for you to slow cook.
Ingredients:
Two chicken breasts
150 grammes (5 oz) of fresh green beans
60 grammes (2 oz) of long beans
60 grammes (2 oz) broad beans
60 grammes (2 oz) of lupine beans
1 medium onion
A carrot
2 cloves of garlic
A dash of tomato puree
40 ml (2 tablespoons) of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 4 hours
Peel and slice the onion thinly.
Peel and slice the carrot.
Peel and crush the garlic.
Put the onion, the carrot and the garlic into your slow cooker, crock pot or sauce pan.
Add the extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and stir.
Sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken breasts and turn the heat to low.
Cover with the lid and cook for 2 hours.
Flip the chicken breasts over.
Add the green beans, the long beans, the lupine beans, and the broad beans.
Add a dash of tomato sauce, season and put the lid back on.
Cook for 2 more hours on low heat before serving.
15. Vitello tonnato (veal with tuna sauce)
Vitello tonnato[15]
This is a delicious veal dish that you should eat cold; it is wonderful for summer days, for picnics, and for al fresco lunches.
Ingredients:
400 grammes (1 pound) of veal roast
A carrot
A large onion
A leek
A glass of white wine
A stalk of celery
6 bay leaves
200 grammes (7 oz) of tuna steak in sunflower oil
300 grammes (10 oz) of light mayonnaise
60 grammes of capers
Salt and pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 5 hours
Peel and cut the onion in 2.
Wash and slice the leek.
Peel the carrot.
Put the onion, the leek, the carrot and the bay leaves in your crock pot, slow cooker or saucepan.
Add the white wine.
Put the veal in your crock pot, slow cooker or sauce pan.
Cover it with water, season, put the lid on and cook on low heat for 5 hours.
In the meantime, prepare the sauce, by draining the tuna and, using a blender, mixing it with the mayonnaise, then add the capers and mix.
Remove the veal from the stock, drain it and cut it into thin slices, then cover it with the sauce.
16. Slow cooked rainbow trout fillet in wine sauce
Rainbow trout fillet in wine sauce[16]
This is a delicious meal rich in omega 3 oils which is perfect for any day of the year.
Ingredients:
2 medium size rainbow trout fillets, scaled and boned
2 glassed of white wine
150 grammes (5 oz) of samphire
A bunch of dill
A bunch of chives
100 ml (half a cup) of milk
3 cloves of garlic
20 grammes (a tablespoon) of plain flour
20 ml (a tablespoon) of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and white or green pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 3 hours
Peel and crush the garlic.
Chop the chives finely.
Chop the dill finely.
Put the crushed garlic, the chopped dill and the chopped chives in your crock pot, slow cooker or saucepan.
Add the olive oil and sauté for 3 minutes on medium fire.
Turn the heat to low and the wine and the milk.
Add the flour incorporating it into the sauce.
Season, put the rainbow trout fillets in your crock pot, slow cooker or saucepan, put the lid on and cook for 2 hours and 30 minutes on low heat.
Add the samphire and cook for 30 more minutes before serving.
17. Slow cooked Korean seaweed soup
Korean seaweed soup[17]
Seaweed is a ‘super food’ and if you slow cook it, you retain all its nutrients as well as its unique flavour. If you like something exotic, try this soup.
Ingredients:
30 grammes (1 oz) of dried brown seaweed
100 grammes (3 oz) of minced sirloin beef
20 ml (a tablespoon) of dark soy sauce
10 ml (2 teaspoons) of sesame oil
2 cloves of garlic
600 ml (a pint, or 3 cups) of water
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 2 hours
Soak the seaweed in cold water; when it is soft, cut into 2 inch (5 cm) strips.
Peel and crush the garlic.
Put the minced meat into your crock pot, slow cooker or saucepan and add the soy sauce.
Stir and sauté for 3 minutes on medium heat.
Add the water and sesame oil.
Add the seaweed, put the lid on and cook for 2 hours on low heat before serving.
18. Slow cooked seafood chowder
Seafood chowder[18]
This is another very healthy dish for you to slow cook, with all the flavours of the sea and all its great nutrients perfectly preserved.
Ingredients:
60 grammes (2 oz) of king prawns, shelled
90 grammes (3 oz) of crab meat
90 grammes (3 oz) of clams
60 grammes (2 oz) of mussels
200 grammes (7 oz) of chopped tomatoes
a glass of white wine
A bunch of fresh thyme
About 12 basil leaves
A medium size potato
30 grammes (1 oz) of dry brown seaweed
4 cloves of garlic
A red chilli pepper
2.5 grammes (half a teaspoon) of sugar
20 ml (a tablespoon) of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 3 hours
Soak the seaweed in cold water till it is soft; then cut it into 1 inch (2.5 cm) strips.
Cut the chilli pepper in the middle, remove the seeds and chop it thinly.
Peel and crush the garlic.
Peel and cut the potato into small cubes (1/2 inch or 1 cm in size).
Put the chilli and the garlic in your crock pot, slow cooker or saucepan.
Add the extra virgin olive oil and sauté for 1 minute on medium heat.
Add the chopped tomatoes and the sugar.
Add the chopped thyme and basil leaves.
Add the potato, season, put the lid on and cook on low heat for 1 hour.
Add the wine, the crab meat, the clams, the mussels, the seaweed and the king prawns and cook for 2 more hours before serving.
19. Slow cooked Japanese onion soup
Japanese onion soup[19]
This is a hearty and earthy soup, rich in flavour and very nutritious coming from Japan. It is excellent in autumn for a filling but light lunch.
Ingredients:
1 Portobello mushroom
150 grammes (5 oz) of shiitake mushrooms
300 ml (1/2 pint) of beef stock
300 ml (1/2 pint) chicken stock
A small onion
A small stalk of celery
A small carrot
A small ginger root (2 cm or an inch long)
1 clove of garlic
A small bunch of chives
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 3 hours
Peel and cut the onion into roundels
Peel and slice the carrot lengthways
Slice the Portobello mushroom
Cut the celery into small pieces
Peel and crush the garlic
Chop the chives
Grate the ginger
Put all the ingredients apart from the chives in your crock pot, slow cooker or sauce pan, put the lid on and cook on low heat for 3 hours.
5 minutes before serving, add the chives and stir.
20. Slow cooked braised beef
Braised beef[20]
This is a very rich meal, it has a wonderful taste and the meat will literally melt in your mouth; it is ideal as a treat, maybe on Saturday or Sunday, and especially on colder days. Try it and you will not regret it!
Ingredients:
400 grammes (1 pound) of beef shin, sliced
2 medium onions
4 cloves of garlic
6 bay leaves
15 grammes (1/2 oz) of dry porcini mushrooms (ceps)
200 grammes (7 oz) of chestnut mushrooms
A glass of red wine
20 grammes (1 tablespoon) of plain flour
20 ml (a tablespoon) of Worcestershire sauce
300 ml (half a pint) of beef stock
Salt and pepper
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 6 hours
Soak the dry porcini mushrooms in lukewarm water.
Slice the Portobello mushrooms.
Peel and crush the garlic.
Peel and chop the onions coarsely.
Put the garlic, the bay leaves, the porcini mushrooms (with their water), and the onion in your crock pot, slow cooker or sauce pan.
Add the extra virgin olive oil and sauté for 3 minutes.
Add the beef shin and the wine; stir and cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat.
Dust the flour on top.
Add the beef stock, the Worcestershire sauce and season.
Put the lid on and cook on low heat for 6 hours.
Five minutes before serving, chop the parsley and add it to the braised beef.
21. Slow cooked pork ribs
Slow cooked pork ribs[21]
Do you want your pork ribs to come off the bone and melt in your mouth? Then try this slow cooked recipe, and serve it with a fresh salad.
Ingredients:
450 grammes (1 pound) of pork ribs
180 grammes (6 oz) of barbecue sauce
200 ml (a cup) of pork stock
2 bay leaves
10 grammes (2 teaspoons) of coriander seeds
10 grammes (2 teaspoons) of mustard seeds
10 grammes (2 teaspoons) of peppercorns
Serves 2
Preparation:
Cooking time: 8 hours
In a bowl, mix in the peppercorn, the mustard seeds, the coriander seeds and the barbecue sauce.
Dip the ribs in the barbecue sauce and coat them thoroughly.
Pour the stock in a bowl, and keep it by your cooker.
Put the pork ribs in your crock pot, slow cooker or sauce pan.
Add a ladle of stock and the bay leaves.
Put the lid on and cook for 2 hours on low heat, then add another ladle of stock at two hour intervals until the ribs are fully cooked.