If you haven’t already done it, reach under the cabinet and pull out that old Crock-Pot that has probably been stored away for a while. I have noticed several new cookbooks that deal mainly with the slow cooker.

As far back as 1991, Rick Rodgers, author of Ready and Waiting: 160 All-New Recipes to Make in the Slow Cooker, was asking cooks to rediscover the slow cooker.

I am thrilled to see that the slow cooker is once again being considered a valuable kitchen appliance. I use the slow cooker often, and have done so for many years.

A few weeks ago, Mike West sent me several recipes that a patient had shared with him. Among them was a recipe for Cajun Cabbage made in the slow cooker.

I tried this one, and it is great. I made a few changes, but it wasn’t because the recipe needed to be changed. I just had to adapt it to what I had on hand. Also, the original recipe did not call for Cajun seasoning, and I decided to add it.

At first, I thought that the tomatoes might not add enough liquid, but when the cabbage cooks down, it is just right. All that is needed is some Southern cornbread to make this meal complete.

For those who are still on that new year’s resolution diet, the following recipe for Low-Fat Crock-Pot Pork Chops is delicious. It is also quite simple, with only three basic ingredients.

My favorite slow cooker specialty is beef roast. To make this easy and delicious roast, simply combine an envelope of dry onion soup mix with a can of cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup of water. Pour this mixture over the roast in the slow cooker, set the temperature on low and just forget it for at least 8 hours. I sometimes start the roast when I go to bed at night, and when I go to the kitchen to make breakfast the next morning, I’m greeted with a wonderful aroma coming from the slow cooker.

Cajun Cabbage

1/2 pound hot sausage
1/2 pound ground beef chuck
1 can (10 ounce) Rotel tomatoes
1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic in jar)
Cajun seasoning, to taste
7 to 8 cups chopped cabbage

Cook the sausage and ground beef until no longer pink. Drain well. Spoon into bottom of slow cooker. Layer the remaining ingredients in order listed, ending with cabbage on top. Cook for about 3 hours on low. If cabbage doesn’t seem to be cooking fast enough, set the temperature on high. After 3 hours cooking, stir and continue cooking for another hour. If desired, sprinkle shredded cheese over top when served.

Low-Fat Crock-Pot Pork Chops

4 to 6 large pork chops
1 can reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix
1/4 cup water (if needed)

Place pork chops in slow cooker. Mix together the soup and dressing mix. Water can be added, if desired; however, when I added water, the sauce was not quite as thick as I would have liked it to be. Cook on high for about 4 hours. Chops should be fork-tender. When serving, spoon a little of the sauce over each pork chop.