To the uninitiated, the word "vegan" often brings to mind time-consuming recipes with unfamiliar ingredients. Robin Robertson's Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker, however, is full of healthy, recipes that can be made using the time-saving kitchen standby for all meals from breakfast to dessert.
Slow cooking was first made popular by busy working parents who could throw a handful of ingredients in the pot in the morning and return after work to a warm dinner. Robertson--the author of 19 vegan and vegetarian cookbooks--recommends several other reasons to use the slow cooker, from saving energy and keeping the kitchen cool in the summer to creating complex combinations of flavor by cooking with low heat for a long period of time. (It's also easier to make large quantities of food that can be spread out over many meals.)
"There is something almost primal about slow cooking that warms the soul," Robertson proclaims in the opening chapter. From there, she provides helpful tips for chefs new to slow-cooking, such as which size and style to buy and how to compensate for cooking time variables. Beyond the expected favorites--chilis, stews and soups--Robertson includes lovely surprises like applesauce-walnut cake, three-way pumpkin bread pudding and piña colada cake. One section focuses entirely on creating condiments like butternut butter, stone fruit jam and barbecue sauce "from the crock."
Any foodie looking to save time (and calories) would love Robertson's venture into vegan slow cooking. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics