Did you know that 46 million people in the United States deal with hunger issues? 12 million of them are children and 7 million are seniors. September is Hunger Action Month, a nationwide campaign mobilizing the public to take action on the issue of hunger. A group of 30 passionate food bloggers recently put together an exciting cookbook, Where Slow Food and Whole Food Meet: Healthy Slow Cooker Dinners from our Kitchens to Yours, complete with fabulous recipes, slow cooking tips, tips for cooking affordably and price-per-serving on each recipe.
One of my food blogger friends who is also a contributor to this cookbook, Christine Pittman, said it best, “Healthy, cheap and convenient. It doesn’t get better than that.”
But it does get better. All proceeds from this cookbook will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Florida may be on the other side of the country, but I can always appreciate a good cause—especially a tasty one.
Whether you're looking for a simple dinner to make on a busy weeknight or a comforting meal for Sunday supper, Where Slow Food and Whole Food Meet has your meal planning covered. The cookbook features over a month's worth of delicious slow cooker dinner recipes, including this Tex-Mex Scalloped Potato and Carrot Dinner from Christine Pittman of Cook the Story:
Tex-Mex Scalloped Potato and Carrot Dinner
by Christine Pittman of Cook the Story
Ingredients:
1½ pound ground beef
1½ teaspoon salt, divided
1 (28 ounce) can low-sodium crushed tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can low-sodium diced tomatoes, drained
1 (15 ounce) can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2½ pounds russet potatoes, in ¼ inch slices
1 (16 ounce) bag crinkle-cut carrot chips
12 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
2 spring onions, chopped
Instructions:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Drain off any fat or juices. Transfer beef to a large bowl along with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, black beans, bell pepper, chili powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Stir well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
Measure 1 cup of the beef and sauce mixture into a 6 quart slow cooker. Put one quarter of the potatoes in a single over-lapping layer over the sauce. Add a carrot chip in between each slice of potato. Top with 2 cups sauce and then ½ cup of cheese.
Add a second layer of potatoes and carrots, 2 cups more sauce and ¾ cup of cheese. Repeat until you have 4 layers of potatoes total, finishing off by using all remaining sauce and cheese in the final layer.
Cook in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours. Open lid and spoon off any liquid that has risen to the top and discard it (this top liquid contains excessive grease from the cheese and meat). Let sit with the lid open for 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to serve. Top servings with the spring onions.
Serves 6-8
$3.49 per serving
Purchase a copy of Where Slow Food and Whole Food Meet: Healthy Slow Cooker Dinners from our Kitchens to Yours today and start taking action against hunger. The eBook version of the cookbook is also being given out as a free gift to food bank donors across the United States. If you click here and then donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, you will be given a link to where you can download the free gift of this beautiful eBook.
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