Crock-pot Stuffed Bell Peppers - The Mush That Launched a Thousand Ships

You can't really live in the midwest and not get gasps when you tell someone you don't own a Crock-pot. Truth be told, they've always intimidated me a little bit. I'm pretty involved during the cooking process and the idea of just abandoning my food all day to cook while I'm away gives me some strange level of anxiety. But I'm a mom now and rather than cooking for an hour every night after to work, I'd love to spend time with my son.

 So, cue that Crock-pot. The new working mom's solution. And now, my new arch nemesis.

 My first attempt was an abysmal failure. I found a recipe online for Crock-pot stuffed peppers, made my vegan tweaks, and set that baby up to cook for a modest 3-4 hours on high. I even got the fancy Crock-pot with the self-timer, so there was no fear of overcooking them. Or so I thought.

Eagerly, I went to open the lid hoping to find my first triumph in slow cooking only to find the MOST bland, MOST mushy peppers I have ever had the displeasure of consuming. These babies were loaded with chipotle field roast sausages, onions, garlic... they should have been jam-packed with flavor. Instead, the damn Crock-pot just bled it dry of all it's goodness and left me with what would probably be really great baby food.

 I didn't bother to bust out my DSLR for this failure, but here is the sad iPhone photo this recipe deserved:

I ate them, but only in the name of not wasting food.

So, dear vegans of the internet, what did I do wrong? Any advice for a slow cooker noob?

Life Happens | Where I've Been the Past Year

Pregnancy is a funny thing.


Back in June of last year, my husband and I very unexpectedly discovered we were expecting our first baby. And anyone who's been pregnant before can attest to not only the stress of planning for a new little one, but also the nausea! I couldn't eat anything that smelled COOKED for at least the first four months. I basically lived off of fruit and pie, because it was all I could stomach. And that doesn't make for a very good food blog. Then of course, there was the move to a bigger house, with more space for our now growing family. My husband starting his own business out of our home in order to be with the family more.


With all that, there's no wonder why this blog died so suddenly. But with that note, my little one is now 4 months old - beautiful, happy, and everything a baby should be. I hope to continue blogging here now that I've gotten the hang of the whole motherhood thing. Although, I imagine this will change with each passing day.


As he grows and begins his life eating solids, I hope to be able to share our experiences, to bring encouragement, ideas, and insights to other parents of vegan families. And of course, for those veteran parents out there, advice is always and greatly appreciated!