Crockpot Pot Roast

8 Servings

Crockpot Pot Roast

Ingredients:

• 3 pound boneless beef chuck roast
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 (16oz) bag baby carrots
• 10 medium red potatoes, quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (14.5oz) can beef broth
• 1/2 cup red wine
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Dust roast with 1 Tbsp. flour and liberally season with salt and pepper.
2. Sear roast over medium-high heat until a brown crust forms on all sides.
3. Place vegetables in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Add bay leaf.
4. Place roast on top of vegetables.
5. Pour beef broth and red wine over roast and veggies.
6. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.
7. Transfer meat and veggies from Crockpot to a serving plate.
8. Melt butter and 2 Tbsp. flour stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
9. Slowly whisk in 2 cups drippings from Crockpot and simmer until thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  

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Swedish Meatballs (Freezer-Friendly)

I’m on week 2 of freezer-friendly meals and so far I am loving it!  I grocery shop on Saturday, cook on Sunday, and do next to nothing the rest of the week.  During the week, it’s just a matter of heating and assembling.  How did I not think of this before?

Since I married into a Swedish family, I thought I should polish up on my Swedish meatball-making skills.  Since it’s just the two of us, I made the entire recipe below, but portioned the meatballs and gravy in half so we actually were able to make two meals out of one recipe.  Yet another bonus to making this meal ahead of time!

Makes 30-35 small meatballs (6 Servings)

Ingredients:
Meatballs:

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp. evaporated milk
• 2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley

Gravy:

• 2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• ¼ tsp. onion powder
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ¼ cup fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-n-half

Directions:
Meatballs:

1. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until soft, ~3-5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs and evaporated milk, stir.  Add ground beef, onion, egg, salt black pepper and parsley.  Mix just to combine making sure to not overwork the meat.
3. Roll meatballs and brown on all sides in skillet over medium-high heat.

* Meatballs will keep frozen for 6 months.

Gravy:

1. Melt butter over medium heat.  Add flour and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes.  Slowly whisk in beef broth until combined.  Add onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, salt, black pepper, and fresh parsley.
2. Heat until boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer until thickened.

* Gravy will keep frozen for 2 months.

To Serve:

1. Simmer meatballs and gravy in a skillet over medium heat until both are heated thoroughly, about 10 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to low, add 1/2 cup cream and mix to combine.

 Ground Beef & Heavy Cream                                                Ground Turkey & Half-n-Half

                                              

 

Crockpot Chicken and Rice with Black Beans

Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 hours (on high); 7-8 hours (on low)

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 can S&W black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn, preferably cut off of cob
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup heavy cream or 2% milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with smoked paprika and place in crockpot.
2. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

                                          Nutrition Facts for 1 cup of Prepared Casserole

                         HEAVY CREAM                                                   2% MILK

HEAVY CREAM

2% MILK

 

Enchiladas with Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Ingredients
Enchiladas:

• 3 pounds beef brisket*
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 bottle hot taco sauce
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• Enchilada seasoning packet
• 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
• 8 flour tortillas
• Sour cream, to top

Black Bean Salsa:

• 1 can S&W black beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 ears of corn
• 1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Directions
Enchiladas:

1. Sear brisket on all sides in a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Place brisket in crockpot with garlic, taco sauce, and cumin.  Set crockpot to low and cook until fork-tender, 6-8 hours.
2. Remove brisket from crockpot and shred meat removing excess fat.
3. Place brisket in middle of flour tortillas and roll to close placing tortillas seam side down in a glass baking dish.
4. Make enchilada sauce according to packet instructions.  Pour enchilada sauce over flour tortillas and top with cheese.
5. Bake enchiladas at 350F for ~30 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and slightly browned.

Black Bean Salsa:

1. Grill corn until blackened on most sides.  Remove from grill.  Once cooled, cut corn off the cob.
2. Combine the all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve enchiladas with a dollop of sour cream and black bean salsa on the side.

* Any type of roast can be substituted in this recipe.  The day I made this, brisket was the cheapest option.

 

Meaty Chili with Pinto Beans and Roasted Anaheim Peppers

6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound beef stew meat
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 7 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3 Tbsp. ancho chili powder
• 1½  tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp. ground cumin, fresh ground
• ½  tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1½  tsp. kosher salt
• 6oz dark beer such as Summit Winter Ale
• 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 3 Tbsp. masa*
• 1 (15oz) can S&W Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-3 Anaheim peppers (depending on how spicy you want the chili)
• 1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
• 1.5 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar

Garnish:

• Sharp cheddar
• Red or green onion
• Sour cream

Directions:

1. Roast Anaheim peppers on baking sheet in oven at 450F for about 5-7 minutes until blistered.  Transfer peppers to airtight plastic container with lid (peppers will continue to steam) for 10 minutes.  Peel skins, remove seeds, and chop chilis.  Transfer to crockpot.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil, sprinkle 1 tsp. stew meat with salt, and brown over high heat in a heavy skillet.  Transfer with a slotted spoon to crockpot.  Add ground beef until browned, drain, and add to crockpot.
3. Reduce heat to medium then add onions to skillet with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil until soft.  Stir in garlic, spices, remaining ½ tsp. salt, beer, and low-sodium broth.  Bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits, then transfer to crockpot.
4. Add remaining ingredients to crockpot and stir well.
5. Heat on low for ~5 hours or until stew meat can be cut with a fork.

.*  Masa is can be found in the Hispanic section of the supermarket
** Chili can be prepared one day in advance of cooking

 

Spicy Beef Chili with Smoky Kidney Beans

6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced thin
• ½ lb. sliced bacon, double-smoked
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• ¼ cup chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin, fresh ground
• 2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp. crumbled dried oregano
• 2 tsp. dried hot red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
• 1¼ cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 (15oz) can S&W Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 Tbsp. semisweet chocolate
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo, seeds removed
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 4 Tbsp. light brown sugar

Garnish:

• Parsley

Directions:

1. Cook bacon until almost crisp over medium heat in a heavy skillet.  Add onions and carrots until soft. Add ground beef and cook until browned.  Drain and add to crockpot.
2. Add remaining ingredients, mix, and cook on low heat for 2 hours.
3. Garnish with fresh parsley.

 

Butternut Squash Soup

8-10 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 (3.5) pound butternut squash, or 3 pounds precut squash
• 2 cups leeks (about 2 leeks)
• 3 cups chicken or turkey broth (preferably homemade)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 20 large sage leaves
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.
2.  Peel and cut squash into 1 inch pieces, removing all membrane and seeds.  Place in an oven-proof dish
with a cover.  Chop and wash leeks thoroughly and add to pot.  Add broth, cream, garlic, thyme, 4 sage
leaves, cumin, pumpkin pie spice, paprika, and salt. Stir well.
3.  Cover tightly and bake until squash is very soft, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
4.  Let cool. Process in food processor until very smooth. Add water or stock to achieve desired consistency.
Adjust seasonings to taste.
5.  Heat oil in a small skillet. Fry remaining sage leaves until crispy. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with
salt. Garnish soup with fried sage leaves and pomegranate seeds.

Note: Soup can be made up to 4 days in advance and reheated before serving.

Recipe adapted from Lunds and Byerly’s Real Food Magazine