Low-fat Cooking with Crock Pots
When you think of crock pot recipes, you probably picture roast beef, pork, lamb, and other heavy meat dishes. While there’s no doubt they go very well in the crock pot, they’re certainly not your only options. The crock pot is also a great way to cook low-fat versions of your old favorites. In fact, many people are turning to slow cooking in a bid to eat healthier and save money in the process. By using that trusty slow cooker, you can spend less, save time, eat well, and enjoy better meals all at the same time.
The crock pot is great for healthy cooking because it enhances the natural flavor of the food, which means you don’t have to add any artificial flavors. There’s also no need to use oil or butter to seal in the flavor. You can even use leaner meat cuts, since you don’t need as much fat to get the same taste. And the best part is that it’s easy: just throw in your ingredients, turn it on, and let it do the rest of the work. If you’re still not sure how to do it, here are some healthy cooking tips to help you get started.
Rediscover chili
Chili is fast getting a turnaround thanks to the slow cooking process. Crock pot chili doesn’t require any sautéing or frying, and the meats taste better without the added salt and preservatives. Much of the liquid comes from the meat’s natural juices, so you get a stronger, richer flavor, even with fewer ingredients. It also has that all-day taste that modern cooks often have trouble getting. And you can make it the way you want: strong or sweet, smooth or chunky.
Of course, the best way to make healthy chili is to ditch the meat altogether and make it vegetarian. Slow cooking coaxes the flavor out of every ingredient, so you don’t really need the meat to add that bite. You can replace the beef with tofu, mushrooms, or heavy vegetables such as potato and rutabaga. Or if you can’t give up real meat, try using leaner beef—few people would notice the difference since the flavors will be more concentrated.
Use more vegetables
It’s no secret that vegetarian diets are much lower in fat. But most people equate vegetarian meals to bland, boring dishes. Well, crock pot cooking can change all that. From simple soups and stews to one-dish meals like crock pot vegetarian stew, there’s virtually no end to the possibilities you can make with slow-cooked vegetables. With the right techniques, you can make vegetarian meals so full of flavor people won’t even realize there’s no meat.
When cooking veggies in the crock pot, remember that some of them take longer to cook than the rest. Root crops like potatoes, carrots, and turnips should go at the bottom where they can cook faster, and lighter ones like leafy vegetables can go on top. If you’re cooking them with meat, place the meat on top of the first layer. That way, they’ll all cook at the same time without your ingredients getting soggy or mushy.
Switch to seafood
If you can’t give up meat altogether, try replacing meat with seafood instead. It’s just as flavorful as meat, but has less that half the fat content. And with crock pot seafood recipes, there’s a lot more than just fish—you can also try squid, shrimp, shellfish, and lots of other varieties. Seafood goes very well with spices and vegetables, and they absorb just as much flavor as chicken and beef. Use slow-cooked seafood as your main course, or serve a lighter dish as an appetizer.
Like vegetables, seafood doesn’t take much time to cook completely. That’s why they tend to get overcooked in the crock pot. Most seafood recipes take less than five hours on low, compared to the eight to 12 hours usually required by other dishes. You can also avoid overcooking by using larger cuts of fish, which have less direct contact with the heat and therefore cook a bit more slowly.
Make low-fat desserts
Who says you can’t cook dessert in the crock pot? Next time you have leftover fruits, try throwing them in the crock pot for a rich yet completely guilt-free indulgence. Since most crock pot dessert recipes are fruit-based, you get your sugar the natural way—no artificial sweeteners or cream needed. Some of the most popular crock pot desserts are cobbler, pudding, and stewed fruit.
For a nice twist on classic desserts, try making slow cooker pear honey. Pears have a unique flavor that gets really enhanced in the slow-cooking process, and the honey helps give it that rich texture. You can make them with crushed pineapple for more natural sweetness. You can put it over other desserts such as pudding, or even over pancakes and waffles.
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