Happy Wednesday everyone! :-)
I hope you've all had a wonderful day.
I hope you've all had a wonderful day.
Its been a few weeks since I did a What-I-Ate-Wednesday Post. 
Over on the peas and crayons blog, June is sensible snacking month. I find that winter is definitely a time of year when its easy to sit and snack, so its a nice reminder for me to be mindful that I'm only snacking if I really need to eat something. Today I had an apple when I was driving home from work at 6pm. I think that definitely falls into the category of 'sensible snacking'. 
Here's what I ate for meals during the day:
Breakfast - blueberry 'yogurt' and oats.
Lunch - mexican rice & beans with spinach on a grain wrap.
Dinner was Split Pea & Leek Stew - courtesy of the slow cooker!
Here's today's recipe:
Split Pea & Leek Stew
1 cup green split peas
1 leek
1 onion
2 potatoes
approx 1 1/2 litres of stock
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Chop the leek, onion and potatoes. Place in the slow cooker with the bay leaves and garlic. Pour over the stock (you'll need enough to just cover all the vegetables).
Put the lid on and set to high for 5-6 hours.
Optional: stir through a tablespoon of tomato paste if you like tomato flavoured stews!
Delicious served with warm crusty bread.... but then again, what meal isn't!!! ;-)
I have been making our own stock lately. Its really easy to make and amazingly tasty. I don't buy veggies to make it because I find that the expense of doing that adds up really quickly. Instead, I save all our 'off cuts' - meaning the ends of carrots, capsicums, zucchinis, celery, beans, broccoli and any other vegetables that would otherwise be thrown in the bin. All the end bits truly make an amazing stock and I'm yet to find a vegetable that seems to spoil the stock! What a great way of making the most of 'all' the vegetable!!!
I just keep the pieces in a container for 5-7 days and then pour them into a large stock pot and cover with approx 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours. Strain the mixture and then its ready to use. The stock also freezes well.
Questions of the day:
Have you ever tried making your own stock?
Do you call it a "slow cooker" or a "crock pot"?
The stew sounds delicious!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
ReplyDeleteVery welcome - glad you like it :-)
DeleteI do make my own veggie stock ... in a crock pot using this recipe. Do you think slow cooker/crock pot is a regional thing? I think I use both terms which might be a side effect of a life spent on both coasts, the midwest, the southwest and europe.
ReplyDeleteVery good point - it could def be a regional thing. Veggie stock recipe looks good :-)
DeleteYour stew looks so warm & comforting. I've never made my own stock but I'd love to have a try. The powder versions I use aren't particularly tasty. What a great way to use up off cuts too! It's good to hear that it freezes well.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend Sandy xx
Def worth giving the stock a try - let me know how you go :-) xxx
DeleteThis stew sounds so yummy and with the colder weather here I shall be trying it out sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteI do have a slow cooker but hardly use it. But given the right recipes that could very well change.
Thanks for sharing.
I hope you can find a heap of recipes you would like to try! Its so great to be able to make use of appliances that we have!
DeleteHope you enjoy this stew! :-)
Soups and stocks are definitely great places to put those vegetables you might not otherwise use! Freezing stock is a great idea too, I should try that :)
ReplyDeleteI find the freezing works really well - I hope it does for you too! :-)
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