Sweet & Savory Beef Stew in the Crock Pot

I found this recipe via cooks.com. It is a great dish for a chilly fall or winter day. Oddly, it tastes a bit like savory apple pie.... if you can imagine savory apple pie. I added some cranberries and sage to the mix because I had some leftover from Nicole's awesome roasted squash recipe from a while back... a tried and true dish in my opinion.

BEEF WITH APPLES & SWEET POTATOES

2 lb boneless beef chuck shoulder roast
1 (40 oz can) sweet potatoes, drained
2 small onions, sliced
2 apples, cored, sliced
1/2 cup beef broth
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. cold water

Trim fat from beef and cut into 2-inch pieces. Place beef, sweet potatoes, onions, apples, beef broth, garlic, salt, 1/2 tsp. thyme, 1/2 tsp. pepper in slow cooker. Cover, cook on low for 8-9 hrs.

Transfer beef, sweet potatoes, and apples to platter, keep warm. Let liquid stand 5 minutes. Skim off fat.

In small bowl, combine cornstarch, remaining 1/2 tsp. thyme, 1/4 tsp. pepper, cinnamon, and water, stir into liquid in slow cooker.

Cook 15 minutes or until thickened. Serve sauce with beef, potatoes, and apples.

I don't have pictures because it was not beautiful, but I assure you, it is a very warming, fulfilling dish.

Cashew Chicken in the Crock Pot

The crock pot is my savior sometimes, especially in the cold months. Often, on Sunday night, I'll prepare something to cook for Monday. I just turn it on before I go to work, then when I get home, a hot meal is ready for me, plus enough for a few leftovers. Here is a new recipe I have tried, via Better Homes and Gardens:

* 1 10.75-oz. can condensed golden mushroom soup
* 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
* 1 tsp. ground ginger
* 1-1/2 pounds chicken tenders
* 1 16-oz. pkg. frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetable blend
* 1 4-oz. can (drained weight) sliced mushrooms, drained
* 1/2 cup cashews
* Hot cooked brown rice* (optional)

Directions

1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine mushroom soup, soy sauce, and ginger. Stir in chicken, stir-fry vegetables, and mushrooms.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours.

3. Stir cashews into chicken mixture. If desired, serve over hot cooked rice. Makes 6 servings.

I ended up using double the mushrooms and fresh ginger. Yum!

Crock Pot Challenge: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

This is a slightly modified recipe from a coworker. It is my favorite crock pot recipe so far - although I am a newbie when it comes to the slow cooker. This is ridiculously easy to put together and tastes great in the end. Reheats well for leftovers!

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
2 lbs chicken breast (original recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken thighs - either would be fine)
2 (16-oz) jars of your favorite salsa
1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (11-oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 T chopped fresh cilantro

In 3.5 - 5 quart slow cooker, layer contents of 1 jar of salsa, chicken, corn, then 2nd jar of salsa. Cover. Cook on low for 7 hours. Stir in beans and cook for additional 30 mins to 1 hour. Enjoy alone or with rice, cous cous, pasta, etc!

Original recipe suggests browning chicken before you add it to the crock pot. I have not tried that step and it still tastes great! The picture does not do it justice :)

CROCKPOT CHALLENGE: Portuguese Chorizo and Peppers

Ingredients:

2 pounds chorizo sausage, casings removed and crumbled

2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 sweet onion, peeled and chopped

1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 cup water
2 tablespoons crushed garlic

In a slow cooker,

combine the sausage, green pepper, onion, tomato paste, wine, water and crushed garlic. Stir so that everything is evenly distributed. Cover and set on low. Cook for 8 hours. Uncover the pot and cook an additional 2 hours to allow some of the liquid to evaporate. Serve over rice or with Portuguese bread. Makes 8 servings.

Notes: Above you will find the classic recipe for Portuguese Chorizo and Peppers as I was able to find it. In my attempt at this dish, I added 1/2 jalepeno, minced, 3 carrots, peeled and sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch long segments, 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme, and one can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed.

Though the end result was indeed delicious, some observations:

- Make sure to use a red wine that isn't too sweet or of poor quality. If you wouldn't drink it, I wouldn't use it for your cooking, because your stew will be flavored with it and the vegetables will really soak up the flavor - the carrots especially do this and I will not be adding them to my next incarnation of this dish.

- The chorizo is surprising to work with, be prepared. I have used this sausage many times, sliced, but hadn't ever cooked a recipe that required me to crumble it. Chorizo is not formed in the same way as most sausages, where you snip the end off and squeeze out the insides. The chorizo needed to be peeled first and then crumbled. I left a few large chunks, as is my preference so that there could be variation in the texture of the stew. Please see pictures below for a demonstration of the chorizo peeling process. I saved the skins in my freezer to use in making a stock later on. Save everything for this purpose! Garlic and onion skins, vegetable ends, carrot peels, you name it!

crock pot challenge!

Ladies and gents and other variously gendered friends, come one come all to the mad tasty challenge of the season!

On behalf of our collective cooking think tank, we challenge you to a CROCK OFF!!!

The fine print?

• Competitors will include both mad tasty and any outside challengers who choose to!
• Please announce your intentions to compete in the comments below this post, with a link to your blog if not a mad tasty contributor.
• You will have two weeks to pot your crock!
  
• After that point I will schedule posts to be over the following few days, with "link out" posts for extra-blogular competitors.
• A poll will be posted to determine the winner!
• The winner shall receive gratitude, acclaim and possibly notoriety!