7 Scrumptious Slow Cooker Recipes (and Other Braises) Perfect for Fall

Emily Monaco — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 16:07:20 +0000

Image care of A Saucy Kitchen

There’s nothing quite like coming in out of the autumn chill to a home-cooked meal – and you don’t necessarily need to be at home to make it. Whether you prefer slow cooker recipes that you can set and forget in the morning or long, luscious braises that you can simmer all Sunday afternoon and reheat for an easy weeknight dinner, we’ve got the fall recipes for you.

1. White Wine Braised Chicken and Vegetables

This one pot meal is actually pretty quick for a braise: in just under an hour, this tender chicken and vegetables will be ready to serve. Choose darker cuts like drumsticks and thighs to ensure the chicken doesn’t dry out as it cooks, and make sure you have a pot of rice or your favorite country bread ready to soak up all that delicious white wine sauce.

Sauerkraut Image from Shutterstock

2. Slow Cooker Sauerkraut

A combination of sweet caramelized onions, cabbage, apples, bacon, caraway seeds, and your favorite beer simmer away in one of our favorite slow cooker recipes inspired by Polish cuisine. Be sure to serve a glass of the same beer alongside the final dish for the full sauerkraut experience.

Image care of The Little Epicurean

3. Slow Cooker Asian Braised Beef

This Asian-inspired beef is another of our favorite slow cooker recipes. Richly flavored beef chuck is braised over several hours with garlic, onion, ginger, lemongrass, and chile. A soy and hoisin sauce gets just the right amount of sweetness and spice from light brown sugar and Sriracha. Serve the finished dish over brown or white rice and garnish with a pinch of sesame seeds.

Image care of Averie Cooks

4. Slow Cooker Baked Beans

These mapley baked beans are made even more delectable thanks to molasses, brown sugar, and a generous pour of bourbon. Let the slow cooker do the rest: after 12 hours, the mouth-watering beans will be ready. While this recipe includes Worcestershire sauce, it’s easily swapped out with coconut aminos for a vegan version.

Image care of Once Upon a Chef

5. Onion Braised Beef Brisket

Brisket is the perfect cut for braising, with lots of collagen to naturally thicken the sauce. Eight whole onions feature in this dish, but never fear: after the long braise, they’ll be sweet, caramelized, and melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Image care of Spice the Plate

6. Braised Pork Belly

This Chinese-style braised pork belly is rich and hearty – perfect for cooler weather. The pork is glazed with a slightly sweet soy-based sauce spiced with ginger, star anise, and chile. Serve it alongside some simple steamed bok choy or Chinese broccoli to round out this meal.

iStock/mizina

7. Slow Cooker Apple Butter

The perfect autumnal breakfast starts with this apple butter, and it couldn’t be easier to make. Apples, spices, and just a bit of water go into the slow cooker for a ten-hour simmer that will make your house smell divine. A quick whirl through the blender, and this spread is ready to be dolloped on toast, English muffins, or eaten right out of the jar.

The post 7 Scrumptious Slow Cooker Recipes (and Other Braises) Perfect for Fall appeared first on EcoSalon.

These 21 Scrumptious Fall Recipes Will Keep You Healthy, Too

Aylin Erman — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 08:00:40 +0000

The fall season brings with it perhaps the most delicious fare of the year. Enjoy fall recipes that focus on sweet potatoes, apples, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, squash, and a host of other fruits and vegetables courtesy of Mother Nature’s bounty.

1. Sugar-Free Slow Cooker Spiced Apple Butter Recipe

Get your mind, body, and soul in the autumn mood with this deliciously pure apple butter recipe. Not only will your body love the guilt-free spread but your house will luxuriate in the apple and cinnamon aromas.

2. Vegan Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie with Chickpeas and Currants

Shepherd’s pie is reminiscent of heavy, comfort sustenance in the thick of cool weather months. However, this recipe gives the dish a light, vegan twist, without stinting on the comfort aspect.

3. Dairy-Free Butternut Squash French Toast

I mean, if this title isn’t convincing enough, I don’t know what is!

4. Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Zaatar-Spiced Almonds

Brussels sprouts make for a fuss-free side dish in autumn, and are ideal for the plant-based dieters out there, simply because they fill you up without weighing you down. This recipe adds a little zest and crunch to the mix.

5. Scalloped Sweet Potato Gratin with Butternut Squash and Cashew Cream

What I love about this recipe is that it maintains the appeal of a potato gratin – warm, dense, and creamy – but makes each bite far more satisfying for the conscience.

6. Spaghetti Squash Pizza

There are spaghetti squash noodles and there is spaghetti squash pizza. Alas, there is more to do with spaghetti squash than live up to its namesake. Try out this pizza for a lighter, lower-carb alternative to regular pizza.

7. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sherry Wine Reduction

This Brussels sprouts recipe takes a more sophisticated turn with a sherry wine reduction. The result is a dish that combines plant-based bulk with sweet, sour, and sensuous flavors.

8. Raw, Refined Sugar-Free Caramel Apples

The traditional caramel apple may appear healthy – it’s mostly an apple, after all – but is often overwhelmed by the caramelized sugar coating and various sweet toppings that the apple itself no longer offers a redeeming quality. This recipe for raw, refined sugar-free caramel apples magnifies the nutrition and taste of the apple base. Plus, it’s kid and parent-approved.

9. Crispy Baked Carrot Chips

I’ll take any excuse for a lower-carb chip, and this baked carrot chips recipe is a delicious fill-in for the deep-fried, white potato-based original.

10. Easy Mexican Turkey Soup

This is the only recipe in the list that features animal protein. This recipe for Mexican turkey soup is a great way to reuse leftover turkey after either Thanksgiving or Christmas feasts.

11. Homemade Kimchi

With cabbage in season, it’s the perfect time to make kimchi, a naturally fermented Korean side dish that will boost your gut health and immunity.

12. Vegan Sweet Potato Muffins

Here’s your new go-to morning muffin! It’s vegan and infused with sweet potato flavors.

13. Sugar and Gluten-Free Apple Crisp

Did I mention it’s vegan, too? You don’t need white flour, white sugar, and lots of both to achieve that crave-worthy crisp atop tender, aromatic apples.

14. Vegan Pear Bread

A slice of this pear bread makes for a healthy snack or breakfast. It’s based in whole-wheat flour and fresh pears, sweetened with turbinado sugar, and boosted with cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon.

15. Zesty Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad

Shaved Brussels sprouts provide more texture to the average salad, and you’ll get those coleslaw vibes without the mayonnaise. This recipe features fresh mint, red pepper flakes, lemon, and parmesan cheese.

16. Cheesy Baked Farro with Cauliflower

When the weather cools down, cooked grains step up to provide the bulk we all need to get ourselves through the fall and winter seasons. In this recipe, the ancient grain farro is used as a base for a mac and cheese-like dish that is as cheesy as the original.

17. Vegan Pear Pie

Who said apple pie is the end all, be all? Two can play that game. This vegan pear pie is like apple pie, only better.

18. Carrot Soufflé

Soufflé just got a lot less chocolate-y and a lot more autumnal with this root vegetable version.

The post These 21 Scrumptious Fall Recipes Will Keep You Healthy, Too appeared first on EcoSalon.

autumn recipes – EcoSalon