Photo: Alice Gao

An Alternative to Oatmeal
Love quinoa? Us too. The superseed contains magnesium, which helps boost your ability to ward off inflammation, and has a gently nutty taste that's adaptable to many flavors. It's not difficult to cook on the stovetop, but doing the job in the slow cooker takes the guesswork out—and also allows the other ingredients (here, carrots, golden raisins and anti-inflammatory ginger and cardamom) to soften and meld together, creating a rich-tasting breakfast or lunch. Top your serving with orange segments and enjoy the combination of sweet and spice.

Get the recipe: Cardamom-Orange Quinoa with Carrots

Photo: Alice Gao

Yet Another Reason to Eat the Green That's Still Going Strong
Here's a new way to do fiber- and antioxidant-rich kale: as a healthful addition to a salsa, alongside tangy tomatillos and lemony basil. The zesty sauce becomes the base for a slow-cooked chicken dinner that also features chickpeas for added protein and fiber. The finished dish is light and bright, and delicious with a dollop of sour cream on top.

Get the recipe: Chicken Basil Kale Verde

Photo: Alice Gao

An Unexpectedly Tasty Soup
Sweet yet earthy, this brilliant fuchsia soup is a feast for the eyes. Even better: it's rich in healing ingredients such as dairy (in the form of buttermilk), which has probiotics that can help keep inflammation in check, and red berries (the compounds that give them their color also may reduce inflammation). In the slow cooker, the beets become tender enough to puree with an immersion blender; and they go impressively well with strawberries, with the berries offsetting the root veg's intense flavor.

Get the recipe: Strawberry Beet Soup

Photo: Alice Gao

An Easier, Healthier Meat Sauce
Traditional Bolognese sauce requires three cooking techniques (searing, sweating and braising), but not if you use a slow cooker. In this recipe, Iserloh has you put all the ingredients—meat, seasonings, tomatoes—into the pot, cover and cook for about 4 hours. The anti-inflammatory twist: cinnamon. Studies have found that the spice contains compounds with inflammation-fighting properties—and it also adds a pleasantly sweet undertone to the rich sauce.

Get the recipe: Pinch of Cinnamon Bolognese

Photo: Alice Gao

Quite Possibly Your New Favorite Shrimp Dish
Delicate shrimp is ideal for the slow cooker, since the gentle, moist heat won't dry out the lean protein. In this recipe, Iserloh cooks the shellfish with tomatoes, chipotle chiles and orange zest. Then, she spoons this mixture into butter lettuce leaves and tops everything with orange segments, parsley and avocado, for an outrageously good spin on tacos that you'll want to put on repeat. Plus, shrimp contains selenium, an antioxidant mineral with a host of benefits, including lowering chronic inflammation.

Get the recipe: Orange-Chipotle Shrimp in Butter Lettuce Cups
Published 03/06/2018