Vegetable Coconut Curry

I'm going to start off with an apology.  Unlike my normal "style" there is no final picture.  Boo!

I know, I know...you're sad.  BUT, in my defense, it was Christmas Eve and my plate didn't look so hot.  LOL  

I am a HUGE fan of Coconut Curry!  HUGE!  When my husband came home with some Maya Kaimal Coconut Curry Sauce that was gluten-free from Costco (it comes in a 2 pack with Vindaloo sauce too), I about died and went to heaven!  I knew I had to do something with it.  Turns out, I had the perfect occasion.  My Uncle from California was in town and would be joining us at my Aunt's house for Christmas Eve.  Not only is he gluten-free like me, but he is Vegetarian.  I had offered to make something gluten-free and vegetarian, so it was the perfect opportunity.

So, this delicious Vegetable Coconut Curry was born!  It was SO filling and incredibly delicious!  I served it over Edamame Noodles (we buy them at Costco), but you could serve it over rice, brown rice, quinoa or any type of gluten-free pasta you prefer.  Or, eat it by itself!  Another bonus of making this recipe is it's kind of a "clean out the fridge" type recipe, so please feel free to add or delete an ingredient or two to make it work with what you have around your house. 

ENJOY!

Servings: 10-14

Ingredients: (Use a 5-6 Quart Slow Cooker for this Recipe)

2 cups chopped broccoli

2 cups butternut squash, chopped into small cubes

1 cup chopped carrots

3/4 cups chopped onion

3/4 cups chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1 (15.5 oz) can Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 (24 oz) container of Maya Kaimal Coconut Curry Sauce (or any other type of curry sauce you enjoy...double check it's gluten-free though)

Directions:

Place the broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, onion, celery, mushrooms and garbanzo beans into the slow cooker.  Cover it with the Coconut Curry Sauce.

No need to stir.  Put the lid on and let it cook for about 4 hours on LOW or 2-2.5 hours on HIGH.

Serve alone or over rice, brown rice, quinoa, or any type of gluten-free pasta you enjoy!

Hold and Go Slow Cooker #Review

I'd like to introduce you to a brand new slow cooker called the Hold & Go Cooker!

This slow cooker has a handle integrated right into, which allows you to cook and GO!  

Honestly, I didn't think I was going to like this 5 quart slow cooker.  I mean, won't the handle get in the way?  Nope!  It's really cool actually.  You push the handle back and the lid sits right in a little groove in the handle.  No more looking for a place to set your lid!

When you're ready to take your slow cooker with you, all you have to do is pull the handle up, lock the lid and go!  SUPER easy!  It's easy to clean too by pulling the handle forward instead of back.

Here's a quick video on how it works:

In my experience with this slow cooker, I find it cooks evenly and at a normal slow cooker rate/temperature.  I want to warn you the bottom of the crockery is VERY rough and will scratch your counter top.  I scratched mine right away.  Had I read the information that come with the slow cooker first, there is a bullet point about this.  I put a towel under the crock after that while I loaded it up with my Cinnamon Vanilla Pearsauce!  

A feature I really liked was that the lid was not made of glass.  I like this because it's not easily breakable.  I also like how the lid has a rubber seal on it to help seal the lid while you travel.  The lock is SUPER easy to use and I love that as well.  Nothing complicated at all!

I will DEFINITELY be using this slow cooker whenever I have somewhere to travel. (I bring slow cookers to work ALLLLLL the time so my collleagues can taste test things for me!)

This Hold & Go Slow Cooker can be purchased in Silver or Red right here.

If you'd like to find out a bit more info on this Hold & Go Slow Cooker, you can follow them on Facebook or Twitter

*Disclaimer: I was given a Hold & Go Slow Cooker in exchange for this review.  All opinions expressed here are solely my own and may differ from others'..

Wonderbag Slow Cooker #Review

This

is a Wonderbag!

A cordless heat-retention cooking bag.

It's a very simple concept really.  You heat your food on the stove, then you place it in the bag and let it finish slow-cooking!  It's definitely "Green" and will save you on energy costs.

As their website boasts "You can cook anything from meaty stews and vegetable curries to simple rice and soups."  Recently, I made homemade turkey stock since I had a leftover turkey carcass from Thanksgiving along with leftover vegetables.  It turned out perfectly!  All I did was place all my

 ingredients into a stock pot, brought it to a boil on my stove, then let it finish cooking in the bag.

For the Turkey Stock recipe, you can click here.

Here's how you use it:
When you receive the bag, there is a tag showing you how to prepare it.

I did exactly as the pictures show and it's super easy!

Here are some of the benefits to cooking with the Wonderbag listed on their website:

• It can reduce a family's fuel usage up to 30% - saving money and easing poverty
• It reduces CO₂ emissions
• It reduces toxic fumes which means less respiratory problems and other diseases, particularly in children
• It reduces accidents in the kitchen, because stoves are used less
• It reduces time spent cooking, giving more time for child-care and other activities
• It saves precious water. When the pot is insulated in a Wonderbag at a fairly constant temperature, less evaporation occurs, so less water is needed
• It saves food. 20% of all staple food in Africa is burned, due to pots being placed on open fires and unregulated stove tops. With Wonderbag, no burning occurs

When you purchase a Wonderbag, you can truly feel good about it.  For every Wonderbag purchased, they give one to a family in Africa. That's pretty incredible.  They are on a mission to see over 100 Million Wonderbags in homes around the world!  Pretty incredible if you ask me!

At the time of this post, they are currently on sale on amazon.com for $40!  That's a $20 savings!  You can purchase them in blue or red.  The one you see pictured above is red.  It looks very beautiful in person.

       

360 Cookware Slow Cooker #Review......My New FAVORITE Slow Cooker!

Honestly, when the good people of 360 Cookware contacted me, I had no idea what to expect when the product came.  It sounded very interesting, but I just couldn't picture it!

This, is the 360 Cookware Slow Cooker

Currently, this cookware currently comes in 2 different sizes; 2.3 Quart and 4 Quart.  They are working on developing a 6 Quart piece to go with this.

You see, the cookware is separate from the Slow Cooker base.

So, you can use the 360 Cookware for anything, not just for when you're slow cooking.

Let me tell you why this Slow Cooker is so amazing though.....

You know how some recipes call for you to brown your meat first, or to soften your vegetables first?  Well, I've always skipped those steps because I'm busy, and the last thing I want to do is dirty another pan and have something else to wash!  You can brown your meats, or soften your veggies right in the 360 Cookware, then simply set it on top of the Slow Cooker base.  That's simple, right?

This Slow Cooker has 4 temperature settings, so there are lots of options!

The 360 Cookware is an an energy efficient cooking system that uses vapor technology to heat your food faster at lower temperatures, without added fat or excess water.  So far, I've added absolutely no oil or fat to anything I've made in these pans. Talk about a nutritious and delicious way of cooking! Keeping with the green and tech trends, 360 Cookware's products have no harsh chemicals making healthiest meal possible for families.  Recently, I made an Italian Balsamic "Gravy" in this slow cooker and WOW, was it delicious!  No added oil or anything!  I softened the onions and garlic on the stove, then transferred everything to the slow cooker base. So easy!

I'm seriously in LOVE with this cookware and am going to shamefully BEG for the 6 Quart when it is released!  

You can purchase this fine cookware directly on their site at www.360cookware.com where they have LOTS of options for you.  Or, you can find some on amazon.com as well.

   

*Disclosure: I was gifted the 360 Cookware Slow Cooker in exchange for this review.  All opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may differ from others'.