Hello Crock Pot-It's Been a Long TIme

With all of this talk of back to school, healthy lunches and the like, I couldn't help but realize dinner STILL needed to be addressed-each and every night. With the hubub of school activities, increased traffic flow, earlier bed times and all the other minutia that comes with "back to school", I decided that a slow cooker recipe was in order. Out came one of the best pieces of kitchen equipment (in my opinion) from the top cabinet above the microwave where it had been vacationing for the summer.


Enter the Whole Foods Market meat department. Sailing through the arctic chill that houses the beautiful proteins, I stopped to check out the recipes (as I always do) that were atop the warmer that contained fresh BBQ Brisket. A few of the recipes made it into my purse which will all be used in due time however, this one in particular made me salivate just because 1. it sounded so good and 2. I had nearly all of the ingredients at home!

Slow Cooker Hoisin Beef Stew
1/2 cup low sodium beef broth
1 (10-ounce) bottle hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce (I love sriracha sauce)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (1-inch) piece peeled ginger, grated
1 1/2 pounds cubed round or chuck beef stew
2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
1 cup baby carrots
2 ribs celery, roughly chopped

Whisk together broth, hoisin, hot sauce, garlic and ginger in a wide, shallow dish or bowl. Add beef, onions, carrots and celery and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer meat mixture into a slow cooker, cover and cook on a low setting until beef is very tender, 6-8 hours. Alternatively, cook on a high setting for about 3 hours. Ladle into bowls and serve. Serves 4.

The perfume of the marinade was so delicious! I could smell it when I opened the refrigerator after letting it marry overnight. It was even more incredible when entering the house at the end of the day!

I served this with a baked few red potatoes-smashed and topped with a bit of Smart Balance, Parmesan cheese and pepper. It was a huge hit for the following reasons:

1. What beats a meal cooked in a slow cooker? Just throw it in and go on with your day

2. Easy clean up-all that is needed is one of each of the following: cutting board, sharp knife, bowl, gallon plastic baggie, slow cooker pot & large spoon

3. Everyone in the family loved it-including my it's-a- challenge-to-eat-vegetables husband and our I-eat-like-my-mommy 11-month old

4. Great leftovers-extending the recipe by adding more carrots, onions and celery allowed five adult servings and one kid serving from one recipe

Make your life a whole lot easier this year and vow to crock pot at least one meal a week. Go on-find your crock pot-dust it off and give it a kiss. It will be your very best friend this year-I promise!