Slow Cooker Vegan Barbecue Lentils from The Healthy Beehive

Crockpot BBQ Lentils make a delicious meatless meal!  (Photo from The Healthy Beehive.)

For everyone who's a fan of baked beans, Crockpot Vegan Barbecue Lentils from The Healthy Beehive uses the same idea of pairing beans with tomatoes, mustard, ketchup, vinegar, molasses, and spices for a delicious side dish, or do like Jane does and eat them for a meatless lunch.  This recipe starts with a pound of lentils, so there will be plenty of leftovers.  I love lentils and I've never thought of seasoning them this way, so I think this sounds like a wonderful option for Meatless Monday!

Skinny Slow Cooker Spicy Barbecue Chicken from Skinny Ms.

Skinny Slow Cooker Spicy Barbecue Chicken!  (Photo from Skinny Ms.)

I promised I'd be sharing recipes for Slow Cooker Summer Dinners, and I think this Skinny Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken from Skinny Ms. looks like a delicious summer dinner with nothing more than a side of coleslaw.  You'll need to use the stove for just a little to simmer the delicious-sounding homemade barbecue sauce, but I'd do that early in the morning while the house is still cool.  You could also double or triple the barbecue sauce recipe so you have some in the freezer for later in the summer.  The chicken can be cooked on low or high, just time it depending on how your day is going.

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork from Real Mom Kitchen

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork made into tacos!  (Photo from Real Mom Kitchen.)

(For Friday Favorites we spotlight past recipes that you may have missed, and I think Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork sounds great wrapped in a tortilla.  This recipe is one that I've added to the new category for Slow Cooker Summer Dinners; no matter how hot it's getting where you are, you can cook this in the slow cooker without heating up your house!)

Can you tell I've been in kind of a Mexican-food mood lately?  I think tacos are such a great slow cooker dish for days when it's hot outside, because they have plenty of cooling ingredients to go with the hot meat, and I thought this Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork from Real Mom Kitchen looked like it would make fantastic tacos or burritos.  You could also use it to make a Taco Salad.