This is a big book year for me. The Great Vegan Bean Book came out in the Spring and now my fall book is just around the corner. In fact, if Amazon is correct, it may ship a month early.

Once I found that out, I had to get a few recipes and photos from Vegan Slow Cooking for Two or Just You ready to post on the blog to give you a preview of my new book. This is a slow cooker book with a twist – it’s all cooked in a 1 1/2 or 2 quart slow cooker. It’s perfect for 1, 2 or even 2 1/2 people households. (In my mind 2 1/2 equals two adult and a toddler.)

Like my first book, The Vegan Slow Cooker, there are some long cooking dishes as well as a few quick cooking ones too. One of my favorites is the chocolate chip cookie that cooks while you eat your dinner. There are more staples – even a batch of slow cooked onions that you freeze to avoid sautéing (because you can just throw a frozen cube in instead). There are many soy-free, gluten-free and oil-free dishes or options so they can easily be tailored to you diet.

Kate Lewis did the beautiful photography for this book and I worked with the Lisa Ekus Group to make the whole process even smoother. (I love my agent!)

This is my (vegan) version of shrimp and grits. Like many Southern dishes, there’s bacon in the original, but my version contains liquid smoke. You get all of the flavor, plus it’s cruelty-free. If you have two small slow cookers, you can even cook these tasty grits while the chickpeas cook, and come home to a complete meal. You all know I think it’s worth it to have at least two!

Both recipes use a 1 1/2 to 2 quart slow cooker.

Print Recipe 5 from 1 vote Spicy Southern Chickpeas soy-free, gluten-free, no added oil Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 8 hrs Total Time 8 hrs 10 mins Servings: 4 ½ cups Calories: 28 kcal Author: Kathy Hester Ingredients 1 can 16 ounces, or 455 g or 1 1/2 cups (246 g) cooked chickpeas

1 cup 150 g bell pepper, chopped

1 can 14.5 ounces, or 410 g or 1 1/2 cups (270 g) diced tomatoes

1/2 cup 120 ml water

2 teaspoons 4 g Cajun Spice Blend (you can get the recipe in the book on page 23)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder

2 cloves garlic minced

Few dashes liquid smoke or smoked salt

Tabasco or other hot sauce optional

Salt and pepper to taste Instructions Add all ingredients, except for the salt and pepper, to the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.

Before serving, taste, add salt and pepper, and then re-season to your liking. You may need to add more liquid smoke, Cajun seasoning, or chipotle.

Serve over Slow Cooker Grits for Two (recipe follows). Nutrition Calories: 28 kcal | Carbohydrates: 5 g | Protein: 1 g | Sodium: 195 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 2 g