Cooking for the Masses

For when you have to Cater for More than Just Family

Are you committed to a low-glycemic diet this year? Have you had just about all you can take of salads and celery sticks and munching on a handful of nuts? Even a couple weeks of a restricted diet can seem like an eternity, especially when you are a die-hard crock pot fanatic.

That was my dilemma this year when I made my New Year's resolution. Okay, I'm on my diet, but do I have to give up my crock pot? No siree! Here are a few recipes that I've tried out on my family with great results, and with my diet intact!

Ginger Garlic Beef with Snow Peas

You'll need about a 2 1/2 lb. boneless Round Steak, cut into 4 pieces. Place the pieces in your crock pot. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup of soy sauce, about 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, grated or minced, and 2 tablespoons canola oil. Pour your mixture over the steak and put on the crock Pot Cover. Cook this on low for about 6 hours. Give the meat the fork-test to see if it's nice and tender. If not, let it go a bit longer. Then serve alongside hot, cooked snow peas tossed with sauted mushrooms for a perfectly delicious Asian inspired meal.

Lazy Day Split Pea Soup

For a simple soup, throw a 1 lb. bag of split peas into your crock pot along with 2 lbs. of boiled ham, diced up, 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated, 1 medium onion, diced pretty small, 3 ribs celery, finely diced, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 7 cups fresh cold water, and 5 chicken bouillion cubes. Set your crock pot to low and let cook for 6 to 7 hours. You may want to BRIEFLY lift the lid on this to give it a stir 2 or 3 times during the cooking time as the split peas will tend to settle.

3 Bean n' Beef Chili

In large heavy skillet, brown 2 lbs. of lean, ground beef. Drain excess fat if necessary. Meanwhile, dice 2 medium onions, 1 green pepper, 2 stalks of celery, and 3 minced cloves of garlic and put it all in the crock pot. Add 2 (16 ounce size) cans of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of garbanzo beans, 1 can of butter beans, and 1 can of black beans, all drained first but not rinsed. Add a 15 ounce can of chicken broth, 3 teaspoons chili powder (more or less), 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt. A bit more salt may be added later if desired. Add the browned ground beef, stir together gently and cover. Cook on LOW for about 6 hours. Serve in big bowls with a spoonful of low fat yogurt topped with chives.

Diet-friendly recipes and crock pots can get along. Even though it may be difficult at first to come up with recipes for your crock pot that are suitable for your low-glycemic diet, it is not impossible. With just a couple recipes that are tried and true, you will not only be able to stick to your diet, but the whole family will eat healthy, and hearty, too! You and your family no longer have to eat separate meals while you're dieting. Start off with these simple recipes and see if your family won't ask for more! Keep up the good work!

If you set your crock pot aside while you are dieting, now's the time to go ahead and put it back on your Counter Top, front and center, and give a few new recipes a try. It's not always easy to get beyond the salad and celery sticks when you're starting a new diet, but with just a couple crock pot recipes that have been tweaked to fit a low-glycemic scale, it may not be so difficult after all. Having just a couple recipes ready and waiting makes all the difference in the world when you're trying to eat according to your diet AND feed a hungry family at the same time. Once you start cooking again in your crock pot, you'll feel like you don't have to suffer through your dieting and that means you'll stay with it. Now everybody's happy... and healthy!

Learning the methods to use for slowcooker cooking will help save time and money, but it's the mouth-watering Slowcooker Recipes that will get you started!