Slow Cooker Vegetarian Curry

Recipe courtesy of Family Circle.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 onion, sliced
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 15.5-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
5 oz. baby spinach

Directions:
1. Spray the slow cooker bowl with cooking spray and add in cauliflower and onion.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together tomatoes (with juice), water and curry powder. Pour mixture over cauliflower and onion in slow cooker bowl and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours.
3. Stir in chickpeas and baby spinach and add additional curry powder or salt and pepper, if necessary.

Spiced Red Wine-Poached Pears

Recipe courtesy of Ellie Krieger on Food Network.

Ingredients:
2 cups dry red wine, such as cabernet or merlot (I used Cote du Rhone)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 orange, juiced (about 1/2 cup)
1 (1 by 3-inch) strip orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
4 firm, ripe pears

Directions:
In a 4-quart saucepan, combine wine, sugar, orange juice, zest, cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. While liquid is simmering, peel pears, leaving stem intact and being careful not to blemish the flesh of the pears. Slice 1/2-inch off the bottom of the pears to create a flat bottom. Gently place pears in poaching liquid, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to ensure even color, until pears are cooked but still firm. Remove saucepan from flame, uncover and cool with pears upright in pan.

Once cool, cover and chill in refrigerator at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally, if desired. Gently remove pears from liquid and allow to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, reduce liquid by about half over a medium-high flame for 15 minutes, until liquid is thicker and slightly syrupy. Remove from flame and let liquid come to room temperature. Drizzle each pear with 2 tablespoons syrup and serve.