Slow Cooker Smothered Beef Tips

 INGREDIENTS

Beef:

• 3 pounds tri tip or sirloin beef roast. cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper, for seasoning
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, avocado oil or canola/vegetable oil
• 1 cup diced onions
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 cups beef broth or beef stock
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• Pinch dried thyme

Gravy:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• Fresh parsley, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Season the beef pieces on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet until hot and rippling. Add some of the beef in a single layer, not touching, and cook for 30 seconds or so until golden, flip and brown on the other side. Transfer beef to the insert of 6-quart slow cooker. Repeat with remaining beef, adding additional oil, if needed (let it heat up before adding more beef pieces).
2. Once the beef has all been browned and transferred to the slow cooker, add the onions to the skillet set over medium heat. If the skillet is dry, add a teaspoon or so of oil.
3. Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in the beef broth or stock and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer, scraping up bottom of pan.
4. Pour mixture into the slow cooker with the beef. Add the bay leaves and thyme. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or 4-5 hours on high until beef is tender.
5. Transfer the beef to a dish and cover to keep warm. At this point you can strain the liquid in the slow cooker to remove any solids/onions or use as is for the gravy. You should have about 3-4 cups of liquid.
6. For the gravy, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes until bubbling (it's ok if it browns slightly). Add the reserved liquid from the slow cooker about one cup at a time, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps.
7. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in the red wine vinegar and season to taste with additional salt and pepper, to taste. If the mixture is too thin, stir together equal parts softened butter and flour until smooth and quickly whisk into simmering gravy. If the mixture is too thick, thin with additional beef broth.
8. Add the beef pieces back to the slow cooker or to a serving dish and pour the gravy over the top. Serve over mashed potatoes with fresh parsley (optional).

Brioche

Ingredients
1 kg bread flour 2.2 pounds or 7 1/2 Cups
400 grams sugar (2 cups)
5 eggs
250 ml Warm Whole Milk (1 cup)
3 packages of yeast (7 grams each)
pinch of salt
80 ml sunflower oil (1/3 Cup)
80-100 grams butter (1/2 Cup) - unsalted - Pulgra or President
(Available at Tropicana)
Raisins if desired (rinsed)
1 tsp Vanilla
1 TBS lemon zest

Directions
For the greatest success make the dough in a warm room - 82 degrees plus. Have all the ingredients at room temperature and be careful of drafts. Sift the flour twice. Place flour into a large bowl and make a well in it. Reserve 1-2 Cups of the flour for incorporating during the mixing. In a separate bowl begin to proof the yeast by placing yeast in the milk that has been warmed to around 95 degrees. Add 1 TBS of the flour and ½ tsp of sugar to the milk mixture to feed the yeast. Add the remaining sugar and the pinch of salt into the bowl with the flour. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Crack the 5 eggs into the well of the dry ingredients and slowly begin to incorporate the eggs and flour. Work the dough slowly with a wooden spoon in one direction. Add the yeast mixture. Add the vanilla and the lemon zest. Melt the butter and combine with the oil. Add this butter mixture several tablespoons at a time. Knead until small bubbles appear. You will not use all the butter mixture or all the flour but keep for additional steps. The dough is a
soft dough but shouldn’t be too sticky because of the butter. Place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and then a towel. To hasten the proofing process you can heat the oven to 100 degrees, turn off the oven and place your bowl in the oven. Let double in size, about 1 ½ hours. Butter your loaf pans with the remaining butter and dust with flour. Punch down dough and incorporate more butter. Divide dough into three equal balls. Separate each of those balls into three even
balls by greasing your hands with the butter and continue to work it into the dough. Roll each ball to a 16" x 6" rectangle. Roll the rectangle up longwise. Do this with all three pieces of the dough. Bread in a Dutch braid pattern. Place dough, being careful to tuck under the ends into
the loaf pan. Repeat with other loaves. Drizzle with butter. Let the dough raise (in the oven if preferred) until double in size (takes about 30-40 minutes). Make an egg wash with 2 eggs and a tablespoon of milk. Brush on the raised loaves. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake at 325 on lower rack for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.  Makes three large loafs

Cabbage Rolls

I had the wonderful opportunity to learn to make Cabbage Rolls from my wonderful neighbors from Bulgaria.  It was a beautiful day - they were so generous and I learned so much from utilizing everything you have to exquisite technique. 

Enjoy pictures from the day below!!

Vegetable Filling
Ingredients
3 TBS sunflower oil (Zergut - available at Tropicana market)
1 medium onion chopped
4 cloves chopped garlic
300 ml (1 1/4 - 2 Cups) rice
300 ml (1 1/4 - 2 Cups) chicken stock
1 TBS sweet paprika
2-3 TBS combination of fresh and dried mint
1/3 Cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 Cup Canned tomatoes
1 TBS kosher salt then salt and pepper to taste after cooking

Directions
Add sunflower oil to the pan. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for several minutes. Add rice and cook until rice is browned. Add herbs, seasoning and tomatoes. Warm chicken stock and add to the mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10
minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed. Let cool. While mixture is cooling prepare the grape leaves - rinse and remove stems. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in each grape leaf. Roll nice and tight. Prepare large pot by placing several layers of grape leaves on the
bottom of the pan. Place finished rolls tightly in the pot. Layer as needed. Place several more grape leaves on top. Place a plate on top of the rolls for condensing pressure. Add hot water (use the fry pan that was used for filling to warm the water to make sure you get every drop of flavor). Use just enough water to cover the rolls. Bring to a boil. Put lid on, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meat Filling
Ingredients
2 TBS sunflower oil
1 medium onion chopped
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 pounds ground lamb/pork or hamburger
2 Cups rice
2 Cups water
1/2 Cup tomato paste (Greek - available at Tropicana market)
1 TBS sweet paprika
2-3 TBS combination of fresh and dried mint
1/3 Cup fresh chopped parlsey
1 TBS kosher salt then Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
Add sunflower oil to the pan. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for several minutes. Add ground meat and cook until it has just lost pink color. Add rice and cook until rice is browned. Add herbs, seasoning and tomato paste. Heat the water and add to
the mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed. Let cool. While mixture is cooling prepare the cabbage leaves - rinse and cut out stems. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in each cabbage leaf. Roll nice and tight. Prepare the pot by placing several layers of grape leaves on the bottom of the pan. Place finished rolls tightly in the pot. Layer as needed. Place several more grape leaves on top. Place a plate on top of the rolls for condensing pressure. Add hot water and several tablespoons of pomegranate molasses to the pot (use the fry pan that was used to make filling to warm the water to make sure you get every drop of flavor). Use just enough water to cover the rolls. Bring to a boil. Put lid on, reduce heat and simmer for 30- 40 minutes.

BBQ Hawaiian Chicken Foil Packets - grill or oven

 

Ingredients

For the seasoning rub + sauce:

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground black pepper)
• Cayenne pepper, to taste (I use a pinch)
• 3/4 cup favorite BBQ sauce (see note)

For the packets:

• 6 thin cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see note)
• 2 to 3 cups chopped red/orange/yellow bell peppers (about 2 large bell peppers)
• 2 to 3 cups chopped fresh pineapple (I haven't tried this with canned)
• Chopped chives or green onions for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat a grill to medium heat (I use 375 degrees F on my pellet grill) or oven to 400 degrees F.
2. For the seasoning rub, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, smoked or regular paprika, black pepper and cayenne. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides of each chicken piece evenly with the seasoning rub.
3. Prepare the foil packets by laying out long pieces, about 20-inches, of heavy duty aluminum foil (or two layers of regular foil). Lightly coat the center of the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Divide the chopped peppers evenly among the foil pieces (about 1/3 cup per foil packet). Top with chopped pineapple (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup). Sprinkle with green onions or chives.
4. Top the pineapple + peppers with a piece of chicken. Spread BBQ sauce liberally over the chicken. Bring the short edges of the foil up to meet and then use small folds down so there's a little space between the chicken and the foil. Crimp and press the folds well to seal. Do the same with the side edges. Press and crimp well to seal (see pictures above in the post).
5. Grill or bake the packets for 15-18 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through (if you open a packet - do so carefully as the steam will be hot - and the chicken isn't fully cooked, carefully seal the packet again and cook for a few minutes longer). Serve hot over rice (or cauliflower rice) and sprinkle with more chives/green onions, if desired.

Notes

BBQ Sauce: this is my favorite homemade BBQ sauce (so good!); my favorite storebought brand is Sweet Baby Ray's or Kinders.

For the Chicken: either use already thin-sliced chicken breasts or use three thicker/larger chicken breasts and cut them in half (like a hamburger bun) to form two thinner cutlets. The ingredients in these foil packets cook much more even if the chicken breasts aren't super thick.

 

Recipe and picture from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

 

Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup

4.8 Stars (48 Reviews)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 1 cup diced carrots (about 3 medium carrots, peeled)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 4 cups chicken broth (I use low-sodium)
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 10 ounces cheese tortellini (see note)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 to 2 cans (15-ounces each) Great Northern, cannellini, or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken
• 2-3 cups lightly packed, torn or coarsely chopped fresh spinach
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

1. In a 6- or 8-quart pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions and carrots. Cover the pot and cook/sweat the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds.
2. Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the tortellini. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the tortellini are mostly tender (they'll continue to cook for a few minutes in the next step).
3. Whisk or blend the flour and milk together until smooth and add it to the soup, stirring constantly. Add the beans, chicken and spinach. Bring the soup to a low simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and all the ingredients are heated through and the tortellini are tender.
4. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top, if desired.

Notes

Tortellini: I usually use the Kirkland brand refrigerated cheese tortellini from Costco. It comes in 22-24 ounce packages. This recipe calls for 10 ounces tortellini, but for a thicker, heartier soup, you can double the tortellini amount (same goes for the beans, as noted in the ingredient list).

Slow Cooker Beef Vegetable Noodle Soup

Ingredients

Soup:

• 2-3 pounds stew meat or chuck/arm roast, cubed
• 2 cups (12 ounces) diced carrots, about 2-3 medium carrots
• 1 cup (6 ounces) diced celery, about 3 mediums stalks
• 1/2 cup (3 ounces) small diced onion or shallot
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 7 cups beef broth
• 28-ounce can undrained diced tomatoes (or fire-roasted diced tomatoes)
• 8 ounces (about 4 cups) uncooked wide or extra wide egg noodles
• 1 cup frozen peas

To Thicken:

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch OR 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef broth

Instructions

1. In the insert of an 8-quart slow cooker, add the beef, carrots, celery, onion, salt, thyme, basil, bay leaf, garlic, broth, and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.
2. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender.
3. Stir in the egg noodles. Cover and cook on high until the noodles are tender, about 10-20 minutes (depending on the slow cooker).
4. To thicken (optional), whisk together the cornstarch or flour and beef broth until smooth. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker until well-combined. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 minutes.
5. Stir in the peas and warm through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Notes

Beef Broth: you'll need two quart cartons or cans of beef broth for this recipe. You'll use seven of those cups at the beginning and save the last cup for thickening the soup at the end of cooking.

Thickening Soup: thickening the soup is optional; doing so gives it a delicious beef stew vibe.

Recipe and picture from Mel's kitchen cafe

Skillet Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito Bowls

 

Ingredients

Creamy Lime Dressing:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• Zest of 1 lime
• Juice of 1 lime (about a tablespoon)
• Pinch salt

Burrito Mixture:

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 medium sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and small diced
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans (4 ounces each) green chiles, drained
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth (I use low-sodium)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika, smoked or regular

Rice/Toppings:

• Hot, cooked rice
• Diced avocados
• Shredded cheese
• Chopped tomatoes
• Lime wedges
• Chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. For the dressing, stir together all the dressing ingredients. Refrigerate until needed (this can be made several days ahead of time).
2. For the burrito mixture, in a large 12-inch or deep skillet, add the ground beef, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. When the meat is no longer pink, drain any excess grease.
3. Add the sweet potatoes, black beans, green chiles, tomato paste, chicken broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and paprika. Stir to combine evenly. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Adjust the heat, if needed. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
4. Serve the burrito mixture over hot, cooked rice and top with dressing and any additional toppings!

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/skillet-sweet-potato-burrito-bowls/

Skillet Lemon Glazed Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (from about 1 lemon, zest before juicing)
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (see note)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite-size pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil or olive oil
• Sprinkle of parsley or cilantro for serving, optional

Instructions

1. For the lemon glaze, whisk together the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger, and cornstarch. Set aside.
2. Pat the chicken pieces dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper (don't skip this step or else your chicken will be bland and tasteless).
3. Heat the sesame or olive oil (or a combination - yum!) in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until rippling. It should be very hot to get that chicken nice and golden.
4. Add the chicken in a single layer to the hot skillet and brown on all sides (this is why it's important to have a hot skillet). It will cook all the way through in the next step.
5. Whisk the honey lemon glaze mixture to recombine and pour it into the skillet with the chicken. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
6. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro, if using. Serve over hot, cooked rice, quinoa, or whatever else your heart desires (or just serve on its own).

Notes

Ginger: for the fresh ginger, I always freeze 1-inch, unpeeled pieces of ginger and pull them out of the freezer to use in recipes like this. Straight from the freezer, the fresh ginger grates beautifully on a microplane/rasp grater or on the small holes of a box grater.

Hot Sauce: if you like a little heat with your sweet, add hot sauce to the lemon glaze mixture to taste.

Salt + Pepper: it's really important to add salt and pepper to taste at the end to help balance the flavors of the lemon sauce

 

Recipe and picture from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Slow Cooker Beef Vegetable Noodle Soup

 

Ingredients

Soup:

• 2-3 pounds stew meat or chuck/arm roast, cubed
• 2 cups (12 ounces) diced carrots, about 2-3 medium carrots
• 1 cup (6 ounces) diced celery, about 3 mediums stalks
• 1/2 cup (3 ounces) small diced onion or shallot
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 7 cups beef broth
• 28-ounce can undrained diced tomatoes (or fire-roasted diced tomatoes)
• 8 ounces (about 4 cups) uncooked wide or extra wide egg noodles
• 1 cup frozen peas

To Thicken:

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch OR 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef broth

Instructions

1. In the insert of an 8-quart slow cooker, add the beef, carrots, celery, onion, salt, thyme, basil, bay leaf, garlic, broth, and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.
2. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender.
3. Stir in the egg noodles. Cover and cook on high until the noodles are tender, about 10-20 minutes (depending on the slow cooker).
4. To thicken (optional), whisk together the cornstarch or flour and beef broth until smooth. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker until well-combined. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 minutes.
5. Stir in the peas and warm through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. 

Recipe and picture from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Pita Bread

 2 TBS yeast

2 1/2 Cups warm water

4 TBS sugar

2 tsp salt

5-6 Cups flour

Mix yeast, warm water and sugar.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  Add salt and flour.  Knead for 2 minutes.  Let the dough rest for two minutes.  Make into balls - rolling them in the palm of your hand.  Make them the size of a racquetball.  This will make about 15 balls.  Place them in sequence of making them 1 through 15 on a greased surface.  Let them rest for 5 minutes.  Start with the first ball and roll it into a circle with a rolling pin until it is 1/4 inch thick.  Then repeat that process with the second ball through 15.  Let them rest for 5 minutes.  Place them on a cookie sheet with no sides to restrict accurate baking or on the back of a cookie sheet.  Bake at 500 degrees for 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Cut them in half while they are still warm.

Picture courtesy of loveandlemons.com