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The Gluten Free Slow Cooker Cook Book- A Review

Metro Detroit Mommy Blogger Theresa Walker – BeachBody Coach

Theresa received a complimentary cook book in order to write this review.  The opinions expressed are completely her own based on her experience.  

Confession, I *love* my slow cooker!  I use it for dinners as much as I can.  In the winter I make meals like chilli, stews, roasts, turkey breast and various soups, the list goes on.   In the summer I use it  for things like pulled pork or chicken, santa fe shredded chicken and beans, turkey meatloaf, shredded chicken taco’s, honey sesame chicken and basically anything I might normally make in an oven but I don’t want to heat up my house.  In my opinion everyone should own and use a slow cooker or a.k.a. crock pot; once you do, your life will be changed!  I love not having that rush after school trying to prep and cook dinner while trying to help the kids with homework; it’s already in my slow cooker nearly done!  

So, when I had the offer to try The Gluten Free Slow Cooker Cook Book and test out some of the recipes, I jumped at the chance and was super excited.  The author, Hope Comerford (a Metro Detroit Mom) has a website called A Busy Mom’s Slow Cooker Adventures that I’d check in on from time to time when searching for a new slow cooker recipe.  I am not gluten intolerant, but we do try to eat as healthy as we can, in flipping through the pages of this book I tagged many recipes I was eager to try.  

The spinach and artichoke chicken was my favorite recipe that I tried so far and is one I will be making again!  If you like spinach and artichoke dip, you’ll love this recipe.  Here is what it looked like going in:

And here is what is looked like on my plate:

 Yummy!  The chicken was super tender and the topping gave it so much flavor.  I bought bread and dipped it in it.  My only wish was that I wanted more dip to go with it.  This one is going to be added to our regular rotations of dinners in the month.  Everyone gave it a thumbs up.  Bonus, it was simple to make. 

Next I tried the Create Your Own Taco Soup:

This soup with ground beef, beans and tomatoes can be topped with anything you would on a taco- shredded cheese, onion, lettuce, sour cream etc.  In making this recipe it calls for you to make homemade taco seasoning, so I have a small container in my cabinet now for use at a future taco night.  The soup was mild yet flavorful so something the kids can enjoy as well.  You could also sub out the ground beef for turkey.  

Another favorite was the apple and onion pork loin.  Here is what it looked like going in:

And here is the finished product:

Another big hit with the family.  The pork was juicy and delicious.  The apples and onions pretty much turn to mush, but they did their job for flavor infusion.  This one I’ll be making again as well, I liked that it incorporated a rub to put on the pork before placing in the pot.

I decided this was the perfect chance to finally give slow cooker oatmeal a try.  I went with Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal.   

 It was ok.  I did have to substitute out the almond milk with water because I didn’t have any on hand and didn’t want to run to the store at 8pm.  I also skipped the frosting you can make to top it with and went for a lower-sugar option of chopped pecans.  I think had I used a cup less water it might have turned out a little more as I like it, which is thicker.  It wasn’t bad for a first try though, but overall not sure it was worth doing this vs. just cooking on my stove.  

I’d never done a side-dish in my crock pot, so it was fun to try the Kickin’ Warm Bean Salad (it called for a 1.5-2qt cooker):

 

I loved this easy side dish to go with our Mexican dinner nights!  With just a few ingredients like canned beans, banana peppers (I subbed jalapenos), tomatoes (I topped with at the end because I didn’t want them to get mushy) olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, this was easy and delicious.  A zesty dish that was bursting with unique flavors.  I’ll make this one again too, it would be great for a party as well.  

The book was
categorized by sections- appetizers, breakfast, soups, mains, side
dishes and desserts.  Each section has it share of bright, colorful pictures.  There is also an ingredient index at the back
which makes looking up something easy.  If you are new to slow cookers
there is also a chapter in the front to help go over and explain some
basics that I found thoughtful.  Most recipes seem to call for things I already have on hand, which I also liked.  I also appreciated that many recipes had 10 ingredients or less.  I also appreciated that many recipes I found unique and not something I’d have thought to make myself or that I find in every other slow cooker recipe book I own. 

Overall I really like this cook book, whether you are Gluten free or not.  There are so many more recipes I still want to try, a breakfast fritatta, lasagna soup, Hawaiian Kielbasa Bites, Honey Lemon Glazed Carrots, Cheesy Broccoli Casserole, Paprika Chicken, Honey Garlic Pork Chops, Mongolian Beef, there is even a dessert section.   If you are interested in ordering the book you can do so at Amazon Here.  Right now it retails for $16.42 paperback or $13.99 for the Kindle.