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Paleo Crock-roasted summer vegetables

By June 21, 2012December 17th, 2014Food, Paleo, Recipes, Sides, Vegan, Vegetarian

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I’ve had this lofty idea in my head for the past few weeks. That taking this new job and working from home would allow me the opportunity to return to regular, or at least somewhat more frequent food blogging. Things were so jam-packed at my last job that I barely had time to think or plan meals beyond the standard equation of seared/baked meat + steamed/baked vegetable(s) = paleo-friendly meal. Mind you, it’s an equation that works, we feel great, but it doesn’t exactly keep people coming back.

So as I’m slowly settling in and getting back into the groove of actually planning our meals, I thought I’d share something we’ve been doing lately — enjoying our summer veggies in the crock pot.

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It’s always been my natural tendency to forget about my crock pot during the summer. In my mind it’s for stews, chilis, roasts and the like, all fall/winter meals. However, as I’m trying to maximize summer days, I’m learning the crock pot can be quite handy in the summertime as well, especially when you consume vegetables en masse the way we do. This easy recipe makes ample use of all the summer veggies we can’t get enough of, and one crock can last us 3-4 meals.

Ingredients:

2 large bell peppers, any color, seeded and cut into strips
2 large red onions, cut into wedges (you can go with one if you’re not that much of a fan and just add a different veggie)
2 medium-sized yellow summer squash, sliced thick
2 medium-sized zucchini, ends trimmed and cut into strips (I like to vary the shapes for diversity)
5 ounces fresh green beans, ends snapped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1-3 tablespoons coconut oil/olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (from the garden!)
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley (from the garden!)
2-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Place vegetables in the slow cooker. Add oil, basil and season with salt and pepper, then toss to coat evenly. Cover and cook on high until vegetables are tender but still hold shape, around 1 1/2-2 hours.
  2. Serve sprinkled with parsley and additional balsamic vinegar if desired.

Makes 6-ish servings. Note: Made with a 5-quart crock pot, so scale as necessary.

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I made the veggies, Neil made the steak. As you can see, I had a little too much enthusiasm with my veggie chopping and overstuffed the crock. Luckily it settled down a bit with cooking. It was so good that I consciously ate slower to savor each bite. Eating healthy is such a sacrifice sometimes haha.

3 Comments

  • mich says:

    Just wondering what size cooker you have. Mine’s only 3.5 quarts for 2-3 people. I’m guessing I should half your recipe?

    • Jessica says:

      Yes, you might have to. I’ll add in our size too. My mom bought us a huge one, so we make huge batches of everything by default. Feel free to go it your own on the proportions, etc also to your own liking.

  • Heather says:

    I made this in the oven because I was short for time. I added eggplant and it didn’t work out well but the cauliflower/ celery/ peppers / zucchini & onions were all a great option. thanks !