Slow cooking uses less energy than a traditional oven because there is less space to heat up, it is better insulated, and once it reaches temperature requires little to maintain it.  When you use a slow cooker instead of an oven your air conditioning bills will be lower too.

When it’s hot, lighter dishes are more appealing.  Our bodies use less energy since we are not working as hard to keep warm, and we can eat fewer calories.  Dishes that feature clear broth are better than creamy dishes, and even better are dishes that can be served cold once they are cooked through.

Balance a hot main dish with lots of cold side dishes, such as fresh fruit, veggie sticks, lettuce salad, pasta salad, or gelatin.

Here are some summer recipe ideas for the Slow Cooker;

1.  Cook a chicken rubbed with herbs in the slow cooker, then debone and use for cold chicken salad sanwiches, top a lettuce salad with chicken pieces, or use the sliced breast meat for deli style sandwiches.

2.  Did you know eggs can be boiled overnight in a slow cooker?  The whites may absorb some pigment from the shell, but the flavor remains the same.  Try this recipe:  http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/538/HardBoiled_Eggs56347.shtml Use your cold hard boiled eggs to make egg salad, eat them peeled with a little salt and pepper, or slice them to add protein to a lettuce salad.

3.  Mexican style food is a warm weather favorite.  Even though the spices can heat up your mouth, they often have cold companions such as salsa, avocado, and shredded lettuce that balance the temperatures.  Plus our bodies require more salt when it’s hot which make nacho chips even more appealing.  One of our favorite dishes is Chalupa which is a beef or pork roast slow cooked with beans and spices then served like a taco salad with lots of cold companions.  Here’s a recipe:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/pork-chalupas/Detail.aspx or you can find my favorite take on the chalupa in my cookbook: Slow and Savory Suppers