The slow cooker has grown in popularity due to the ease of cooking and the wonderful, delicious heart warming meals it delivers. It is also perfect for cooking healthy nutritious meals, making it even more popular amongst the health conscious person and dieters alike.
When cooking with your slow cooker you are more likely than not to use fresh ingredients. Because the ingredients are cooked on a low moderate temperature for many hours, the natural juices produced by the meat and veg are retained, preserving most of the vitamins and nutrients.
Unlike conventional cooking where the liquid escapes via vaporisation, with slow cooking the liquid becomes part of the meal. Also meaning the leaners of meats are juicy and tender too.
Plus you’ll have full control over the amount of sugar and salt added to meals because you’ll be cooking from scratch, and when cooking with your slow cooker it is unnecessary to add extra fat.
Now for a healthy, delicious slow cooker recipe, one that is close to my heart and I enjoy very often…
Ham & Butternut Squash Stew St Helenian Style
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours LOW
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
400g Smoked gammon ham, diced
500g Butternut Squash, diced
350g Potatoes, diced
150g Carrots, diced
100g Swede, diced
2 Leeks, sliced
1 Onion, finely diced
500ml Chicken stock
1 tbsp Mixed herbs
2 Bay Leaves
Dash Worcester sauce
Salt & Pepper
1 Red chilli chopped (optional)
Cooking spray
Method:
Add cooking spray to a large saucepan and over a medium heat soften the leeks and onion. Add the ham and allow to cook for a few minutes, stirring to avoid sticking.
Add the remaining veggies along with the stock, mixed herbs, bay leaves, Worcester sauce and seasoning. Bring just to the boil before transferring to the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Adjust seasoning before serving and if using chilli mix it in now. Serve with hot fluffy basmati rice and green vegetables. I also like to add a bit of sweet corn on the side, it just adds another dimension to the texture of the meal.
Nutritional value per serving
Calories 215, Carbs 31g, Fat 2g, Protein 21g
This dish is from my childhood, it is a very popular dish from where I grew up St Helena Island. I hope you and your family will enjoy it as much as I do.
This recipe was taken from the second edition of my “Healthy Low Fat Slow Cooker Recipe’s” (Amazon Kindle book). To get your copy just click on the link that best fits you below…
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Note: If you don’t have a fancy Kindle reader, no problem, You can download Amazon’s free app and read it on your computer, smart phone or even Ipad, if you have one of those fancy devices. Just click here to download it.
This article is part of a series, you can see the rest of the articles in the series by clicking the links below
Mexican Shredded Chicken – Slow Cooker Recipe To Deter Weight Loss Excuses
How To Eat Healthy On A Budget Using Your Slow Cooker
P.S. Could you do me a huge favour and help me spread the word about the free promotion of this book, all you need to do is click on one of the share buttons below. I’m really grateful for your help.
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