CrockPot Tex Mex Pot Roast Recipe

 

There's nothing like a big hunk of meat to warm you up on a chilly day. This is man-pleasin' food. My brother, dad, and Adam all ate big helpings. Although I only used 2 pounds of meat, the beans and the corn really stretches both the servings and the number served. 

The Ingredients.

serves 8

2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1 (15-ounce) can chili beans, undrained

1 (11-ounce) can corn with peppers, undrained

1 (10-ounce) can Rotel (tomatoes and chiles), undrained

* The can of beans pictured are the Bush's brand.  Amy pointed out that on Bush's website they say that their brand of Chili beans ARE NOT GLUTEN FREE. Please use a different brand (or use Ranch beans), and always read labels carefully and check with the manufacturer. The ingredient list looked absolutely fine to me, but I didn't take the second step of confirming with the manufacturer. I hate stuff like this. HATE it. Thank you so much, Amy.

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. This is a super simple dump and go recipe--my favorite kind! The meat was frozen solid when I put it into the cooker. The rule of thumb is that if your main ingredient is frozen, the other items should be room temperature or warmed slightly. This is according to Crock-Pot's website. If you have a different manufacturer, follow instructions and use your best judgment. :-)

After your meat is in, add the chipotle chile powder and all the canned ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 6. I like to cook it long enough that the meat falls apart--but you may take it out whenever it reaches your preferred desired tenderness.

The Verdict.

I served this with a baked potato (which you can totally do in the crock, if you are so inclined), to 5 adults and two children. The dishes were clean when I loaded them into the dishwasher...

woo hoo, success!

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Slow Cooker Smoked Sausage and Bean Stew

One of the best things about playing around with a slow cooker is the way you can literally "throw together" dinner without much effort or planning. I had great intentions of going to the store for a chicken, but the baby was sound asleep and her sisters were busy playing school.

and they weren't arguing.

Instead, I picked up the phone, dialed a friend, and started throwing stuff I already had in the pantry and freezer into the pot.

The only problem?

I was so busy chatting, I forgot to take an ingredients picture. I did jot down what I tossed in, though!

The Ingredients.
serves 6

1 pound smoked sausage, casings removed, and crumbled
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
2 brown potatoes, diced (no need to peel)
1/2 cup dried lima beans (no need to presoak lima beans)
1 tablespoon A-1 steak sauce (the secret ingredient!)
4 cups beef broth

The Directions.

I used a 6-quart slow cooker. My sausage was pretty frozen solid, so while I chopped the vegetables, I soaked the package in a sink full of hot water. When they softened enough to handle, I simply used a knife to cut off the casings, and crumbled the meat into the cooker. Add the lima beans, A-1, and beef broth.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the lima beans and carrots have reached desired tenderness.

Serve with a green salad and rolls. I made drop-biscuits from Pamela's Baking Mix.

The Verdict.

Easy and delicious! My sausage was mild in spices---it provided a smokey flavor infused with sage. If you use spicy sausage, your stew will be spicy. The A-1 gives the broth a fantastic color and a bit of a vinegary twang. mmm. Lima beans swell tremendously while they're cooked; 1/2 cup is plenty.

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Slow Cooker Turkey Stew Recipe

I made the most delicious turkey stew over the weekend. I've never actually had turkey stew, so I don't know if it's the best that exists, but it's definitely the best I've ever had. And, since I used leftover food from Thanksgiving, it was free!

I'm kind of bummed Adam took the leftovers to work to eat for lunch, because now I'm forced to eat peanut butter on an apple-cinnamon rice cake. Again.

The Ingredients.
serves 8

There are two parts, here. The first part is to make broth with your leftover turkey carcass. If you don't have a carcass on hand, and would still like to make this soup, jump to the next step and use 8 cups of chicken broth and 2-3 cups chopped turkey.

for broth:
use a 6 quart slow cooker.

turkey carcass, or rib cage bone-sets from 2 turkey breasts
9 cups of water
2 tablespoons granulated chicken bouillon (read label carefully for msg and gluten, I used the Herb Ox brand)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (this takes the meat flavor out of the bones, and creates a beautiful color and flavor)
1 large onion, finely diced OR 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

cook on low overnight, or for about 8 hours. Unplug, and remove stoneware from cooking element. Uncover and let cool. When cool enough to "go fishing," remove all bones from broth, leaving meat inside the pot.

note: if your slow cooker releases a bunch of steam and condensation while cooking, put a layer of foil or parchment paper down over the top, then put the lid on so you don't lose your cooking liquid.

for stew, add the following:

2 cups peeled and diced sweet potato
1 (28-ounce) can diced or stewed Italian style tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 (15-ounce) can corn, and juice
4 cloves chopped garlic OR 1 teaspoon dried garlic powder

The Directions.

Combine all ingredients in a 6 quart slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until sweet potatoes have reached desired tenderness and flavors have melded.

The Verdict.

We all really liked this a lot. The girls were slow to warm up because they thought the name "turkey stew" was weird and didn't like that the broth wasn't clear, but I didn't offer them anything else to eat. When they finally tasted it, they happily finished their bowls. Adam said he liked it even better than our normal turkey soup, which is pretty high praise, since that soup is fantastic. I really liked the deep color and the sweet potatoes in contrast to the tomato base. This did not have any spicy taste, just lots of flavor.

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Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon Recipe

This is an easy copy-cat (or sort of copy-cat) of Julia Child's famous Beef Bourguignon. I cut the butter completely, and simplified the spices, but the flavor is all there.

And, I have STILL not seen the Julie and Julia movie. I was all set to go with a group of friends, but then got another wave of all-day-I don't-know-why-they-call-it-morning-sickness and found myself glued to the couch on our planned night out. And then school started, and soccer started, and PTA started, and life got a bit complicated.

I will see it, though. I promise.

The Ingredients.
serves 6

3 pounds beef roast, or beef stew meat (I used a chuck roast I had in the freezer)
6 slices bacon--no need to cook (I used turkey)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced in rings
1 cup carrots (chopped or baby, your choice)
4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 tablespoon herbs de provence (here's a recipe to make your own)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste (not pictured, oops!)
2 cups red wine (you can use non-alcoholic if you wish)

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart slow cooker. In the bottom of your stoneware, smear around the olive oil. Then lay down 3 slices of bacon. Add sliced onion and garlic. Put the meat into the pot on top of the onion and garlic, and sprinkle on dried spices and herbs. Toss the meat to distribute the spices to all sides. Add tomato paste. Lay the other 3 slices of bacon on top of the meat, and throw in the carrots. Pour wine over the whole thing.

Cover and let cook on low for 8-9 hours, high for 4-5, or until meat has reached desired tenderness. If you are using a roast, you may want to flip the meat about an hour before serving so more liquid is absorbed into the meat. You can also cut the meat into chunks and return to the pot, if you would like more moisture to absorb.

Serve with whipped mashed potatoes, and a ladle full of crock juices.

mmm.

The Verdict.

We all really liked this a lot. The kids weren't crazy about the carrots, because they took on the wine flavor and were a bit tart, but Adam and I loved them like that. The meat had lots of flavor, and I was quite pleased with the amount of juice left in the slow cooker---it made an excellent gravy. I didn't try to thicken it up on the stove top with cornstarch or flour, but if you enjoy making gravy, I'd imagine it would be wonderful.

This is a company-worthy meal.

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Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potato Southwestern Stew

I was playing in the garden yesterday and realized a bit before 2pm that I had forgotten about dinner, and scrambled to throw something in the slow cooker. This is a completely made-up clean-out-the-pantry meal. Wednesday is usually our leftover night, but I kind of ate all the leftovers in the house for lunch. oops.

The Ingredients.


4 frozen chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 2 inch chunks
1 (15-ounce) can baked beans
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (4-ounce) can fire roasted diced chile (a last minute brainstorm!)
1/2 cup pineapple juice (leftover from the Easter Ham)

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into your stoneware, and drop the sweet potato chunks on top. Add all the contents of the baked beans, tomato paste, and diced chile. Pour on the pineapple juice. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-8. Your stew is done when the chicken is cooked through and the the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.

The Vedict.

This is gross. Really gross. I think it's the tomato paste. I took a few bites to be a good sport, but could tell about 2 hours into it that this wasn't going to be a very good dinner. I thought maybe with some shredded cheese it could be palatable, but it just wasn't. The house smelled like burnt tomato stew, even though the tomato paste mixed with the pineapple juice and bean and chile liquid and there was plenty of moisture. It was just not good.

really bad.
really really really bad.

We ended up having McDonalds. I drove through in my slippers.

other memorable flops:

coconut chicken curry
fruit leather
bacon wrapped scallops
hard boiled eggs
roasted pumpkin seeds

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