We’re all guilty of it. We play appliance favorites. Some months it’s the juicer. Some months its the Kitchen Aid mixer or the pizza stone. It seems I can’t balance my attention and use of my kitchen tools evenly. If they were children, I would have some problems to deal with. Thankfully, they are objects and can not notice or care — but I do. My crock pot sat unused last year until January when I finally brought it down off the shelf for the first time. I think of all the easy, healthy meals I missed making for myself last winter. This year, I’m making it a point to bring out the slow cooker early and use it often throughout the months to come. Here are a few slow cooker meals I’ve tried in the past that I can completely recommend. I’ll post a few of my own in the coming weeks, but enjoy…
Tomato, zucchini, goat cheese and thyme tart recipe
Any recipe that uses up a good amount of veggies is a hit with me. I tend to go overboard at the farmers market — this time of year everything looks so delicious! — but it’s important not to let food go to waste. According to a Guardian report, roughly 50 percent of all produce in the United States is thrown away amounting to $1,600 in annual food waste for every family of four. With this staggering number in mind, I’ve made it a point recently to keep recipes on hand that use unusual vegetables, vegetables in bulk, or difficult herbs sometimes delivered in the CSA. Juices and stews are great for this task, but sometimes your veggies are just too darn pretty to hide. Tarts and galettes are a great option for showcasing those shiny vegetables, while also allowing plenty of space for layering and packing in leftover produce. You could easily throw in another layer of zucchini to…