i use my crockpot whenever i need to tenderize a tough piece of tofu. though, now that i'm reading all this and substituting non-meat ingredients i wonder if i did a vegie stew if it wouldn't retain more vitamins & flavor cooked in a crockpot.
tzimmes just might be making a comeback in my house. i used to make this for mom who only knew how to make reservations. she loved it so much. this dish is typically served on rosh hashanah, the sweetness celebrating the new year. happens mom died during sunset of rosh hashanah this year. so now my tzimmes will be sad and sweet.
this is recipe from faye levy's international jewish cookbook. serves 4 to 6 recipe is for a dutch oven but i think it would take well to a crockpot.
1 tablesp vegie oil (or, yikes, chicken fat)
2 lbs boneless chuck (tofu) or stew meat (tofu) cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
2 large onions chopped (i use small onions--1 per person--and leave them whole)
5 large carrots, peeled & cut into 1 inch chunks (i just cut in half length-wise)
1/2 teasp salt
3-4 cups water
2 large potatoes
2 yams or sweet potatoes
1/2 to 1/3 cup honey
1/2 teasp ground cinnamon (i increase this, love the stuff)
pinch pepper
1/2 lb pitted prunes (mom's favorite part)
1 tablesp flour (optional)
1 table chopped parsley (also optional)
heat oil in dutch oven over med heat. add meat (tofu) and brown well all sides, avoiding crowding. remove from pan, add onions and saute to brown. return meat (tofu) to pan & add carrots, salt & enough water to cover. bring to boil & skim occasionally. then cover & simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
peal & dice potatoes (i cut as one chunk per person). add potatoes, honey, cinnamon & pepper to pan & mix. bring to boil then simmer 30 minutes.
remove prunes from liquid, reserving liquid to later thicken stew. add to pan. uncover & simmer 30 minutes until meat (tofu) is tender. let stand 1 hour or more before serving. use flour or prune juices to thicken or thin as desired.
ok, well, that was the very lab*r intensive version. i'm pretty sure you could just brown the meat (tofu), brown the onions and then put everything into the crockpot. dish done. eat in good health. l'chei-im!