I use my slow cooker all year around and recently came across Bored of Lunch Healthy Slow Cooker Even Easier by Nathan Anthony at the library. Written by a Northern Irish home cook, the book contains 'recipes with minimal prep, all under 500 calories' and I was keen to give one of them a go.
First up was the Chorizo Carbonara Orzo from Page 166 based on the mouthwatering photograph in the book. After learning orzo is called risoni here in Australia, this meal was a disaster. It took 2 hours longer to cook than the recipe mentioned so we had to have something else for dinner that night while we waited for the chicken stock to be absorbed. When it was finally finished cooking, the taste and texture wasn't very nice at all so we won't be making that one again, ever. The left over risoni went into the bin too.
Next up was the Pork with Creamy Apple Sauce from Page 176 which was a real hit. I haven't cooked pork tenderloins before and sitting in the slow cooker among the diced apple they looked like gross tongues. It was also our first time using creme fraiche in a recipe but it was lean and tender and a hit with the husband so I think it'll be on the menu again.
All in all, one hit and one definite miss before it was time for this little hardback to go back to the library. Nathan Anthony's latest book, Bored of Lunch Six Ingredient Slow Cooker sounds like it might be worth checking out at some point. Published in December 2024 it's not available at my local library yet but I'll keep an eye out.
What are you having for dinner tonight?
