Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast

 
So I have this delicious family recipe for a mushroom roast. I'm guessing many families have the same one. It involves mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, and Lipton Onion Soup. I love that recipe with all my heart, but most of my family doesn't like mushrooms. So I went on a quest to find a tasty, non-mushroom roast idea. I found a starting point with Chef John's Slow Cooker Pot Roast recipe (cited at the bottom). I had two problems. One, it uses mushrooms and two, I'm lazy. Searing the meat bits on this stretches my patience as it is. However, the result is worth it so I go with it. The rest of the steps got thrown out because it's a roast and it's suppose to be simple. That's my philosophy at least. So, here is the modified recipe and I've had good results both from family and friends. Hope you like it!

Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast

• 1 (3 - 5 pound) pot roast
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 – 3 onions, quartered/cut into chunks (optional if you like slow cooked onions with your roast. If not, then mince half an onion or use onion powder to get that flavor added to your broth/roast.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 c beef broth
• 3 - 5 medium carrots, cut into chunks (optional if you like slow cooked carrots with your roast)
• 2 – 3 potatoes (optional if you like potatoes to cook with your roast)
• 1 - 2 stalks celery, cut into chunks (or small pieces if you don't like celery – for broth flavoring)
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme (½ tsp dry)
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (1 tsp dry)
• Cornstarch (optional if you want to make broth into gravy)

Directions:

1. Cover the roast in salt and pepper. I don't recommend to taste as you shouldn't taste raw meat generally speaking. I'm generous on this. Then I sear the meat in the vegetable oil in a skillet. *Check out my detailed notes below if you want how I actually do this process.

2. While sides are searing, I put two cups of water into the crock pot and add two beef bullion cubes. However you do your beef broth, get two cups in and turn the thing to high so things start warming up. Toss in all the stuff. From onions down to rosemary. **More notes on how I “toss it all in.”

3. Get the seared roast into the crock pot, cover it and cook it on low for five to six hours. Eat it.

4. If you want, put the broth into a pot, bring it to a boil, add a cornstarch slurry (maybe 1 Tbsp cornstarch to ¼ or ½ cup cold water) to thicken it and boom – gravy.

Notes on how I like to do things:

*Cutting the meat and salting/peppering it: You can leave the roast whole or cut it into pieces. I cut it into pieces so it gets more seared on pepper/salt goodness. I sprinkle salt and pepper onto a plate. I then take my fist-ish sized pieces of meat and dab each side onto the plate to pick up the salt and pepper. I find it easier than trying to sprinkle pepper and salt onto the meat. So, I press all the sides of my smaller cuts onto the salt and pepper, one chunk at a time. I add more salt and pepper to replenish the plate as needed for the pieces. Generally, I get 1 – 2 pieces per plate sprinkling. Then I sear the sides of the pieces in the vegetable oil.

**A lot of times, I toss half the thyme and rosemary into the broth, then I toss in everything but the onions and stir it up. After stirring, I put in the onions so they don't fall apart from stirring. Then I put the seared roast in and sprinkle the remaining thyme and rosemary on top. This is just me and not really a necessary complication.

This was adapted from Chef John's Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast. (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220125/slow-cooker-beef-pot-roast/)

I took out a lot of steps because it's a roast and I don't want to spend all day on it. Also, while I love mushrooms, many in my family don't. So, this is my simplified version and it tastes great – so thanks Chef John because I needed your recipe to find mine. :)

Banana Bread

So, this is a recipe for Banana Bread. Not Banana Bread with Nuts or Banana Bread with Raisins. It is a bread in which the dominant taste is sweet banana. Why? Because we don't like that other stuff. Should you insist on ruining this delightful recipe with nuts or raisins, I will put a couple of measurements at the bottom.

Banana Bread (makes two loaves)*

2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 3/4 c flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1/4 c buttermilk
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
**

Directions:

1. Grease and flour bread pans. Preheat oven at 325.

Now, technically, you can just mix all that stuff above together, toss it into the pans and go. However, in case you like lots of steps, I shall tell you how I do it. I have a mixer. I use speed 1 or 2 for all the mixing. Which speed I use is completely based on the whim of the day. I use a 1/4 cup and a 1/2 tsp for all the measuring. Then I don't have to wash more than those two items and the bowl.

2.  Toss in the 2 bananas and let them get mashed. Put in the eggs. Mix it and then add the sugar.
3. Add the flour, buttermilk, and vegetable oil. (Yes, I use the same 1/4 cup. Just do the dry, then the wet.) Make sure all of that gets mixed up well.
4. Use a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon if you don't want to have to wash more than one spoon. Now put in salt, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla. If you have lumpy baking powder like me, I recommend making sure those chunks are broken up so you don't get a nasty lump in your bread later. No one wants to be the person who gets that.
5. Now that everything is mixed up, divide the batter between the two pans you expertly greased and floured. Pop it into the oven for around 35-45 minutes. Use the toothpick test to make sure it's done. (If you don't know this test, it means to stick a toothpick into the bread, pull it out, and see if it's clean. If it is, you're gold. If not, it needs more time.)

* You can do half the recipe and it's still quite tasty. Most likely, you'll wish you'd just stuck to making two.

** Nuts - 1 c. Raisins - 1/2 c.

Eggplant Pita - Japan Compatible

Eggplant Pita (prep 25, cook 20, ready 45)
(If making in Japan, refer to the bottom)

Lactose Intolerant: Leave off the cheese and the ranch dressing. It should still be good.

INGREDIENTS*
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 pitas, halved*
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup ranch-style salad dressing (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine eggplant, mushrooms, green bell pepper, onion, garlic powder and olive oil in a skillet and fry until vegetables are gently brown and softened.**
2. Stuff hot vegetable mixture into pita bread pockets. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese into the pockets. Top the entire sandwich with ranch dressing if you wish.

Notes:
* Overall, I mostly double this recipe. That’s probably the long and short.
** There is a fine line when cooking this and it’s don’t cook it too long – especially the eggplant. If you’re a garlic lover, add just a bit extra too.

Japan Note:
I couldn't find pitas there. So, I made tortillas (which you can buy for a large sum – so putting in the work to make them is better).

Green Enchilada Sauce

This stuff is great, not a lot of work in my opinion, and yields a lot of sauce. It'll be far cheaper than buying it if you can find the time to make it. May I suggest that if you do it, double the recipe and cook it in a big wok so you have a large surface for evaporation. Makes it cook down faster and you're doing all the work one time with a big result. I have a large food processor which makes this a cake walk.

The original post is here: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/03/green-enchilada-sauce/. It has pictures, but I want to tell you this: if you have a good food processor, I suggest ignoring all this chopping, mincing, etc. Throw the ingredients into the food processor. If it's small enough for the onions and garlic, throw them in and chop/mince them as much as the processor can. Then cook them up. This is a sauce. Let the processor do the work for you.

If the processor isn't big enough for all of it at once, who cares? Do half the ingredients with half the tomatillos and then the other half with the remaining tomatillos (the tomatillos give you a good juice base to mix and shred it all well). It all goes to the same pot and gets mixed together in the end anyway so don't stress chopping/mincing perfection.

Green Enchilada Sauce

2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 green peppers, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and membranes removed if desired (and I desire. Always.)
1 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered or halved
1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
4 c. chicken broth
2-3 Tbsp. sugar (This is optional and I never use it. But if you want a sweet like Cafe Rio, this will do it)

Directions:

In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender and fragrant.

While onions are sauteeing, combine tomatillos, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro in your blender. Process until smooth; you may have to do it in batches and/or add some chicken broth to make things blendable.

Pour the tomatillo mixture over the onions and garlic and add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cumin. Simmer 15 minutes-1 hour, depending on the consistency you want. I usually turn the heat to high and boil it uncovered until I reach the consistency I want; it makes things go a lot faster. The sauce can also be simmered in a slow cooker all day.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Honey Lime Enchiladas are another wonderful secret shared with me by my sister-in-law. They are delicious, can be frozen* and making multiple batches is a breeze.

The original site for this work is here: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/03/honey-lime-enchiladas.html. This site has pretty pictures, so if visuals are useful, go for it! I have a few tips on shredding chicken and a link to a recipe for Green Enchilada Sauce that is delicious, has a high yield, freezes well, and will cost you less than getting it in a can.

If you're making the sauce and shredding the chicken, you might want to read over that in anticipation for cooking this wonderful meal. You can make the work a lot less by doing these two bits a day or two in advance so it's not all a huge effort on one day. Each step is simple. Doing them all at once can take time and not everyone has a big chunk of time set aside for cooking.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1-2 large limes)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded (3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)**
8-10 fajita-size flour tortillas
1 pound Monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce (like the Herdez brand)***
1 cup sour cream (you can use heavy cream or half-and-half but I always use sour cream)

Directions:

Whisk together the first four ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the marinade into a Ziploc bag (or other covered container) and toss with the shredded chicken. Refrigerate and let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour and up to 8 hours.

Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Fill flour tortillas with chicken (reserving the leftover marinade) and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. I like to mix the cheese and chicken together and then put it in the tortilla so the two tastes are throughout the enchilada.

Mix the remaining enchilada sauce (1.5 c) with the sour cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

**Here's a tip for shredded chicken instead of buying really expensive canned stuff. Throw a some into a crock pot (I do about 3 - 4 lbs per pot) for 4 - 6 hours with a little water and oil if you like. When the chicken is at a falling apart stage, pour it into a mixer with the cookie paddle. Start it up and in about 20 - 30 seconds you have a lot of shredded chicken you can freeze.

I do quesadilla chicken this way and cook it with the taco seasoning in the crock pot. Then I have probably 10 dinners worth of ziplocks full of chicken. Makes life quick and easy. If you know the meal you're shredding for, you can season it up accordingly. Otherwise, keep it pretty generic and you'll have basic, all-purpose chicken to use in whatever meal you want. I hear that cooking in citrus dries chicken out, so be aware of that.

Chicken and Dumplings

It has been so long since I posted a recipe. At the back of my brain, I kept thinking, "I love cooking but it's so busy!" I thought I'd start back up with a simple one my sister-in-law shared with me that is quite delicious. This is the original site for the recipe and it has some great pictures.

As a side note, I've tried this recipe with buttermilk and didn't really notice a change or improvement to the taste of the noodles. Still good and relatively the same flavor.

Also, when I don't have homemade broth for my recipes, I use bullion cubes and then add some powdered onion, sage, garlic, pepper, and celery salt. The celery salt and garlic I add in small amounts maybe 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. The sage is more along the 1/2 tsp lines and the onion powder is around 1 tsp. I love pepper in this recipe so I go kind of crazy with it. All in all, it's about your personal tastes and I never measure exactly. Like yesterday when my 2 year old decided to help with the sage addition. Still tasted good but I have no idea how much got in the pot, on the stove top, and in his mouth!

Anyway, the recipe:

2 cups Flour
½ teaspoons Baking Powder
1 pinch Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup Milk, A Bit Less Than A Full Cup
2 quarts Chicken Broth
3 cups Cooked Chicken (small pieces)*

Directions:

1. Assuming the chicken has been dealt with, I start by putting my broth up to boil.
2. Noodles are next. I have a food processor which makes this easy, but the long and short is put the dry ingredients together, cut the butter into them, and then add the milk. I really does take a bit less than a cup to create a cohesive lump of yummy dough. So add it until it forms a nice, soft dough that isn't going to stick all over your hands.
3. Flour** the surface you're going to roll the dough out onto. Be liberal with it and roll the dough out thin. Thin is a rather vague word, but the thinner it is, the more noodles you get. So decide if you like thicker noodles and less of them or thinner noodles and lots of them. After you've rolled them out, feel free to smooth some more flour out on top of the noodles. Lots of flour equals a thicker result for your recipe.
     3b. If you are using some frozen chicken pieces, I would throw them into the pot around now.
4. I use a pizza slicer to cut the noodles. You could do that or use a cutter that's around 2"x2". Whatever floats your boat. Cut the noodles and then move them to the pot. I pick them up with my hands, my spouse uses a spatula and a plate, sprinkling flour between the noodle layers. However you do it, drop them in one or two at a time making sure they've separated and let all that extra flour fall into the pot.
5. If I have thawed or just cooked chicken I put it in after I've added the noodles and cook the whole thing for 15 - 20 minutes. You could also wait until the end. Either way has worked for me.
6. Make sure the noodles don't taste like dough and then serve it up in bowls!

*I use around 1.5 cups of chicken. The spouse, toddler and I enjoy the noodles so we back down on the amount of chicken. I use a rotisserie chicken from Costco which usually yields 2 - 3 recipes worth of chicken depending on how much you use per recipe. It's quick, easy, and tasty. Just freeze the extra chicken for later or use it in a salad!
**Use lots of flour for the rolling and cutting of the noodles. All that flour should end up in the pot so you get a nice, thick batch by the end (in all honesty, it really does take a lot of flour and sometimes my recipe turns out nice and thick and sometimes, it doesn't. It tastes good either way.)

Victory!

So a new year is coming up, and I'm hoping to start integrating some new recipes into the menu list. I am also working on making (and backing up) new menus. Awesome news: my sister-in-law got me a new cook book. I'm hoping to have a little time over the holidays to sort through this cookbook and a couple of other ones I've not done a lot of exploring through.

So, hopefully there will be more postings soon.

:)