Herein a few “winter warmers” from the folks at the RoadPro family of brands, whose products include a slow cooker that will operate on 12-volt power in-cab — if you’re running with an inverter, more standard slow cookers are possible to utilize as well. Slow cookers take time, of course, perfect if you’re stuck for a 34 away from home. And properly secured it’s at least possible to roll down the road with the warm aroma of a home-cooked meal as accompaniment. (Anybody here actually do this? Share tips in the comments.)
Classic mac ‘n’ cheese in a RoadPro slow cooker.Benefits over a truck stop’s or other restaurant’s standard fare could include lower cost, better health and, hey, this time of year you can avoid the risk of frostbite. The following recipes Sweeney collected from writer Carolyn O’Byrne, whom regular readers will recall from Wendy’s Parker’s past posts about the life coach and her book, “Gut Instinct,” which offers nutritional and lifestyle advice specifically for truckers. All of these are crafted specifically for in-cab cooking with 12-volt appliances, like RoadPro’s slow cooker. The ingredients can be kept safely in a cooler until it’s time to cook. O’Byrne recommends making more than you need for one meal so have leftovers to enjoy. All of them might go plenty well with some of that cilantro-spiked slaw I wrote about ’round Thanksgiving time last year.
Lime Cilantro Chicken
Ingredients
3 chicken breasts
Juice from 2 limes
1 bunch chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 onion diced
1 can beans of choice, drained
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp rosemary
Salt and pepper
Directions
Add all ingredients and cook on low for 8 hours in the slow cooker.
Vegetable Lentil Soup
Ingredients
4 cups dried lentils
32 oz any broth
2 cups water
1 onion chopped
4 cups of vegetables of choice (frozen or fresh) (Ideas: carrots, peas, celery, squash, sweet potato)
28 oz can diced tomatoes
4-6 cloves minced garlic or organic garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Place all ingredients in 5+ quart slow cooker (if cooker is smaller, halve the recipe). Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
1 lb thinly sliced beef
1 cup beef broth
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp honey
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
Directions
Place all ingredients except broccoli into slow cooker. Cook covered on low for 5 hours. Add broccoli and cook additional 30 minutes on high.
Hawaiian Chicken
Ingredients
2 lbs cut-up chicken
1 can pineapple chunks in 100% juice
1 onion
1 bell pepper
4 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper
Directions
Combine ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
If you’ve never cooked in your cab, these recipes might be a great way to start. If you try one, let us know how it turns out!
