Slow Cooker Winter Stew

SLOW COOKER WINTER STEW

Slow cooker is great for making stews. Here, in New England, the winter is chilly, and sometimes with LOTS of snow! On a day like that, you can’t even get out of your house. To warm your body and soul, have this hot and cozy, rich of flavor homemade stew.

Ingredients:

• 6 pork ribs
• 1 cup of dry white beans
• 1 cup of dry red beans
• 2 sweet peppers
• 4-5 mushrooms
• 1 tomato
• 1 zucchini
• 1 celery stem
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• ½ pound of smoked sausage or kielbasa
• 3-4 drops of hot any hot sauce Tabasco® type
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt, pepper
• Green scallions for decoration

Directions:

• Leave beans in the water overnight
• Place beans in a slow cooker and cover with enough boiled water. Cover, and cook on High for about 3 hours
• Add meat and cook for another 2 hours
• Add vegetables cut into small cubes, whole onion, and garlic cloves, all spices, and cook everything for another hour
• Last, add smoked sausage, cut into small pieces, and cook for 1 more hour
• Remove the whole onion and bay leaves from the stew
• Sprinkle with green scallions before serving

Weight Loss Help

• Meat (protein) cannot influence gaining weight
• Although beans are from the carbohydrate group, their Glycemic Index is medium, 40.
• Vegetables provide lots of fiber, which decreases the total Glycemic Index of this meal
• If you prefer low-fat meat, cook the stew with chicken or turkey

Feel free to use such vegetables as:

• Eggplant
• Cabbage
• Cornflower
• Green beans
• Broccoli

Avoid:

• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Corn
• Rice
• Spiced powders (most of them contain sugar and starch)
• Adding croutons, or eating a stew with bread or toast