Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

Like many of you, I love, love, love Pinterest!! And since I'm back to eating meat, I have been trying out some of the recipes posted on Pinterest. Here's one I made last week and it was soooo good! And for those not a fan of broccoli, it gets coated by the sauce, and is YUMMY!! Even my 13 year old, Zachary, ate it. And he is so not a fan of broccoli :) Enjoy!

Crockpot Beef and Broccoli:

Yield: 4 servings | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 4-6 hours and 30 minutes*

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips

1 cup beef consumme or beef broth

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 tbsp. sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. cornstarch

4 tbsp. sauce (from the crockpot after dish is cooked)

Frozen broccoli florets (as many as desired, I believe I used almost 2 cups)

White rice, cooked (Actually, we went to the local Chinese restaurant and bought sticky white rice. And eggrolls)

Instructions:
1.In the insert of the crockpot, whisk together beef consume, soy sauce, dark brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic.
2.Gently place your slices of beef in the liquid and toss to coat.
3.Turn crockpot on low and cook for 4-6 hours. (I did 4 hours and that was fine)
4.When done, in a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cooking liquid to create a slurry, pour into crockpot, stir to mix well. Cook on low for an additional 30 minutes to thicken up the sauce.
5.Toss in your broccoli florets (with the slurry in step 4) then serve hot over white rice.


**To give credit where it's due, the original recipe can be found here: http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2012/09/12/take-out-fake-out-beef-broccoli-crockpot/

Crockpot Chili--Yum, yum

Many of you know that during this year, I have chosen to be meat-free.  I like to have different life experiences, and vegetarianism has always kind of fascinated me, so I thought I would give it a try.  So far, I haven't really missed meat (ok, chicken fried steak does sound really good right now, I'm not gonna lie), because of recipes like this one.  It's really good!!  And for you meat lovers--you could add whatever meat you want to the recipe (deer, elk, beef, chicken, pork, turkey--it's all good!).  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Vegetarian (or not) Chili

1 (12 ounce) bags Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers recipe crumblers (this is where you would substitute real meat (browned) if you want.  I used portabella mushrooms-also good)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans (do not drain)
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed (also known as cannellini beans)
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian baked beans (or any other baked bean you like)
1 (11 ounce) can tomato puree
1 can RoTel
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 cup frozen corn
1 yellow sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil

In a crock pot, stir garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and basil into the tomato puree.  This ensures even distribution of spices.

Add the beans, corn, chiles, RoTel, crumbles (or meat), and onion to the crock pot.  Stir to combine.

Cook on low for 6 hours.

Add sour cream, Fritos, cheddar cheese to taste.