Slow Cooked Pot Roast & Root Vegetables

Melt-in-your-mouth pot roast with tender vegetables, gravy and crusty bread. That's my kind of meal.

I really do have this infatuation with Lord of the Rings and what I consider to be rustic, hearty meals that a knight would eat in a dark, dank pub. This is one of them. If I had iron bowls and goblets of ale, it would be a complete meal. 

I made this in the slow cooker because I was going to be out and about, but I would probably recommend using a dutch oven instead. I don't know why because this turned out amazing, but for some reason slow cookers always feel like cheating to me. Oh well, I love them.

Slow Cooked Pot Roast & Root Vegetables Recipe:

• 1 1/2 lb beef roast (chuck, loin, whatever you want. Remember that leaner meats will either need to  cook for less time or a loooooong time to be tender.)
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
• salt and black pepper
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 turnip, diced into chunks
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• Handful of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 potato, diced into chunks (optional, I didn't actually use)
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves only
• 1 tbsp dried or fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp dried thyme

• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup water
• crusty bread

Cut slits all over your pot roast and insert sliced garlic. Rub with salt and pepper liberally and place in the slow cooker. Add everything else in the first set of ingredient list, put on the lid and slow cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. Couldn't be easier. 

When the roast is nice and tender, remove from the slow cooker (along with veggies) and set aside in a bowl (keep warm). It will look like this:

Ah, beautiful.

Then pour the juices into a small saucepan and heat over medium on the stove. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water. Add to the gravy in the saucepan and stir constantly until it comes to a boil and reaches your desired thickness. Place the roast and veggies back in the slow cooker and pour the gravy in. Warm everything together for an additional 20-30 minutes. Slice and serve with crusty bread!

Oh and since you'll probably have leftovers, here's a next-day idea:

Leftover Pot Roast & Wild Rice Casserole Recipe:

• Leftover pot roast, shredded
• Leftover veggies and gravy
• 2 cups cooked rice (I did 1 cup wild rice and 1 cup white rice)
• 1-2 cups chopped green beans
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce

Mix everything together and pour into 9x13 baking dish. Bake, covered, for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove cover and bake for additional 8 minutes. 

2 meals for the price of 1!

Atomic Chicken Tortilla Soup

Seriously, this soup is freaking spicy.

We were crying, sweating, snot dripping from our nostrils...it was a beautiful thing.

Hot peppers are so temperamental. Some days you can eat a raw jalapeno, and it's comparable to a bell pepper. Other days, it's like a ghost chile from hell.

The jalapeno I chose to use in this soup was a devilishly beautiful blend of green, red and yellow colors with lots of veins. I also used a Serrano pepper. And green chiles. And pickled jalapenos. And hot salsa made from Serranos and chile arbol. And spicy tomato juice. I guess I got carried away...

But I wouldn't change a thing! It was so delicious. Give it a try...if you dare.

Atomic Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe:

• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 Serrano, diced
• Spoonful of pickled jalapenos, diced
• 2 frozen chicken breasts
• 1 can diced tomato with green chiles
• 1 can spicy tomato juice
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 3 tbsp hot salsa
• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1/2 cup yellow corn
• Cilantro, green onion, shredded cheese to serve
• Homemade baked tortilla chips

Combine everything except the peas, corn, garnishes and tortilla chips in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, shred the chicken and add the peas and corn. Serve with chips and accouterments.

To make your own tortilla chips, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stack 5 (or however many) corn tortillas and cut in half, then slice into thin strips. Place on 2 baking sheets with at least a 1/4 inch between each strip. It's very important that the chips have some space or they will get chewy instead of crispy. Sprinkle some salt on top and bake for about 7 minutes or until golden brown around the edge. Better than anything in a bag!

Perfect Chili

First, apologies there are only two photos and they're terrible. I was literally taking them with one hand while using the other to eat because I was STARVING and this sh** is fantastic.

But I guess that's a good sign.

I must say that chili (specifically my mom's chili) is my favorite comfort food. I like it a little soupy, very spicy and with meat and beans. I've made several batches of chili, but this one is by far my favorite. I think it's because of the addition of ranch-style beans instead of the usual kidney. As always, it could have been spicier, but that's why they invented Louisiana Hot Sauce. It goes on everything, but it's made for chili. Give this a try.

Slow Cooker Chili Recipe:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground sirloin
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks + leaves, chopped
• 4 Thai chiles, diced (would have used fresh jalapeno but was out. Really enjoyed the flavor these Thai chiles provided)
• 1 can ranch-style beans
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth (more or less depending on how chunky/soupy you like it)
• 1 fresh tomato, diced
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tsp Worcestershire powder (optional, but I liked the addition)
• 1 tbsp oregano
• salt to taste
• Louisiana Hot Sauce (optional)
  

Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When no longer pink, drain the juices and add the onion, celery and chiles. Then add 1 tbsp chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and just a dash of salt. Cook together for a couple minutes.

Combine the beans, tomato sauce, fresh tomato and remaining spices in the slow cooker. Add the meat mixture and stir. Add the chicken broth (to your liking) and a couple dashes of salt. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Serve with warm corn bread or biscuits. Let stomach snuggling commence.

Hearty Beef Stew

Hmm...there appears to be a pattern to this blog so far:
dessert in new baking pan-->slow cooker meal-->dessert in new baking pan-->slow cooker meal...

Hey, what can I say? I love using new gadgets!

A not-so-distant relative of Beef Stroganoff, Beef Stew is warm, rustic and very simple to make. I opted for some lean stew beef (very cheap!) and your average stew veggies. Typically, the goal of slow cooker meals is that they are easy to make before work and ready when you get home. This is also true of this meal, except I spent about 45 minutes prepping the night before. Not fun but totally worth it! I just woke up, threw everything in the pot and headed out the door.

*Note this is an after picture.

Beef Stew Recipe:

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp hot smoked paprika
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1lb lean stew beef
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I love the flavor so added some extra)
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped + handful of chopped celery leaves
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

Mix the flour and seasoning in a gallon ziplock bag. Place beef in the bag and coat evenly. Put beef in the slow cooker and add all of the veggies. Pour the broth and dash the Worcestershire sauce. Stir to mix thoroughly and cook on low for 10-12 hours. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Sloooooow Cooker Stroganoff

You know what the best smell in the world is?

No, not Office Max or new leather...

Beef slowly cooking in warm seasoned liquid for 10 hours.

Ooooo yeeeeeeah.

This lovely aroma only graces the presence of modern day homes once in a blue moon, but with the ingenious invention of the slow cooker, heaven just got a little closer.

In keeping with the theme of receiving awesome cooking gadgets for Christmas (see previous cake-wich post), I just HAD to post a meal that I made in my brand new Crock-pot.

One of the top five favorite meals of my childhood is my mom's beef stroganoff. Aside from a blanket or my fuzzy kitty, it's probably the next thing I'd want to snuggle up closely to.

If you own a slow cooker, you should definitely try out this dish.

Beef Stroganoff Recipe:

• 1-2lbs London broil beef, cut thinly
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 large yellow onion, diced or thinly sliced
• 4 oz. mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp brown mustard
• 1 cup sour cream
• 12 oz. egg noodles, cooked and drained
• Fresh parsley for garnish
  

Dredge the beef strips in the flour and seasoning mixture. Place coated strips in the slow cooker and add onions, mushrooms, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Cover with lid and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Add the sour cream, stir to combine well and cook for another 5 minutes. Spoon over cooked egg noodles and garnish with parsley.
It really, really doesn't get much better than this.