(minimum 5 quart) oval slow cooker
•Greased 8- by 4-inch (20 by 10 cm) approx. loaf pan or 6 cup (1.5 L) soufflé or baking dish (see Tips, below)
| 1 cup | all-purpose flour, unbleached if possible | 250 mL |
| 1 tsp | baking soda | 5 mL |
| ½ tsp | salt | 2 mL |
| ½ cup | finely chopped pitted soft dates, such as Medjool (5 to 6 dates) | 125 mL |
| ½ cup | finely chopped pecans | 125 mL |
| 2 | eggs | 2 |
| ½ cup | packed muscovado or evaporated cane juice sugar | 125 mL |
| 2 tbsp | olive oil | 25 mL |
| 1 cup | pumpkin purée (not pie filling) | 250 mL |
| 1 tsp | ground cinnamon | 5 mL |
| ½ tsp | freshly grated nutmeg | 2 mL |
| ¼ tsp | ground ginger | 1 mL |
1.In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add dates and, using your fingers, separate any pieces of dates that are stuck together, ensuring that the bits are coated in flour. Add pecans and stir to blend. Make a well in the center.
2.In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar and olive oil until smooth and blended. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and mix well. Add to well in dry ingredients and mix just until blended; do not overmix.
3.Spoon batter into prepared pan. Cover tightly with foil and secure with a string. Place pan in slow cooker stoneware and pour in enough boiling water to come 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours, until a tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Unmold and serve warm or let cool.
Tips
This bread, like the others in this book, can be made in almost any kind of baking dish that will fit into your slow cooker. I have a variety of baking pans that work well: a small loaf pan (about 8 by 4 inches/20 by 10 cm) makes a traditionally shaped bread; a round (6 cup/ 1.5 L) soufflé dish or a square (7 inch/17.5 cm) baking dish produces slices of different shapes. All taste equally good.
If you prefer smaller round loaves, make this bread using three 19 oz (540 mL) vegetable tins, washed dried and sprayed with olive oil. Cover tops tightly with foil and reduce cooking time to 2 hours.
I like to use less-processed sugars, such as muscovado or evaporated cane juice sugar (Sucanat™ or Rapadura™).
Black Bean and Salsa Dip
This tasty, Cuban-inspired dip is a welcome treat any time of the day. Serve with tortilla chips, tostadas or crisp crackers (remember to count the America’s Exchanges/Canada’s Choices they contribute), or with fresh vegetables cut for dipping (crudités), a Free Food/Extra.
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS (750 ML) (¼ cup/50 mL per serving)
•Works best in a small (maximum 3½ quart) slow cooker
| 1 | can (19 oz/540 mL) canned black beans, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups (500 mL) cooked dried black beans (see Variation, page 231) | 1 |
| 1 | package (8 oz/250 g) light cream cheese, cubed | 1 |
| ½ cup | tomato salsa | 125 mL |
| ¼ cup | light sour cream | 50 mL |
| 2 tsp | cumin seeds, toasted and ground (see Tips, below) | 10 mL |
| 1 tsp | chili powder | 5 mL |
| 1 tsp | cracked black peppercorns | 5 mL |
| 1 | jalapeño pepper, finely chopped, optional (see Tips, below) Finely chopped green onion, optional Finely chopped cilantro, optional | 1 |
1.In slow cooker stoneware, combine beans, cream cheese, salsa, sour cream, toasted cumin, chili powder, peppercorns and jalapeño pepper, if using. Cover and cook on High for 1 hour. Stir again and cook on High for an additional 30 minutes, until mixture is hot and bubbly. Serve immediately or set temperature at Low until ready to serve. Garnish with green onion and/or cilantro, if desired.
Tips
If you use a five-alarm salsa in this dip, you may find it too spicy with the addition of jalapeño pepper.
To toast cumin seeds: Place seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Immediately transfer to a mortar or a spice grinder and grind. If you prefer to use ground cumin, substitute half of the quantity called for.
For a smoother dip, purée the beans in a food processor or mash with a potato masher before adding to stoneware.
Mindful Morsels
Look for low-fat baked varieties of “dippers” (no more than 3 g of fat per 50 g) and estimate the weight of one piece from the Nutrition Facts on the package. Twenty grams of low-fat baked tortilla chips is equivalent to a Starch Exchange/ Carbohydrate Choice. Because they are usually high in sodium, dippers should be consumed in small quantities.
Spicy Spinach Dip
Here’s a great dip with a bit of punch. If you are a heat seeker, add the extra jalapeño pepper and use extra hot salsa.
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY
MAKES ABOUT 3½ CUPS (875 ML) (¼ cup/50 mL per serving)
•Works best in a small (maximum 3½ quart) slow cooker
| 1 lb | fresh spinach, stems removed, or 1 package (10 oz/300 g) spinach leaves, thawed if frozen (see Tip, below) | 500 g |
| 2 cups | shredded light Monterey Jack cheese | 500 mL |
| ½ cup | tomato salsa | 125 mL |
| ¼ cup | light sour cream | 50 mL |
| 4 | green onions, white part only, finely chopped | 4 |
| 1 to 2 | jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and finely chopped | 1 to 2 |
| ¼ tsp | freshly ground black pepperLow-fat baked tostadas or tortilla chips | 1 mL |
1.In slow cooker stoneware, combine spinach, cheese, salsa, sour cream, green onions, jalapeño peppers and black pepper. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours, until hot and bubbly. Stir well and serve with tostadas or tortilla chips.
Tip
If you are using fresh spinach leaves in this recipe, take care to wash them thoroughly, as they can be quite gritty. To wash spinach: Fill a clean sink with lukewarm water. Remove the tough stems and submerge the tender leaves in the water, swishing to remove the grit. Rinse thoroughly in a colander under cold running water, checking carefully to ensure that no sand remains. If you are using frozen spinach in this recipe, thaw and squeeze the excess moisture out before adding to the slow cooker. Dry thoroughly before adding to the slow cooker. If excess moisture is not removed from the dip, it will be quite runny — but still delicious!