Barbecue Pot Roast

 

This is a recipe that I can't wait to share! When you have something that you just loved to make and eat, it's really fun to run and tell everyone about it in hopes that they can then enjoy it like you did. Mr. Max and I have simply not been very creative with meals lately. We've had a lot of repeats or easy meals like salads, or simple fish and chicken breasts with roasted veggies. Blame that partially on a whirlwind event schedule and needing the ease, and maybe partially on trying to eat very basic because of the wedding that is approaching.

I can't say that I've been a dieting bride necessarily. I know how to eat well and I know what's good and what is not so good for me. I've just become a little more diligent on those what's good with more veggies and protein, and really strict on the consumption of the not so good like unneeded sugars, excess carbs or salty foods.

Well.... all that is fine and great but sometimes you just need some comfort food! Feeling slightly under the weather and having just one of those weeks, I decided that a pot roast seemed appropriate because it gave me a perfect reason to make a cauliflower and potato puree - mmm potatoes! Pinspired by the fabulous Plain Chicken blog, I used this for reference but made my own version based on what I had in the fridge.

Nutritional facts can be found here, and they were surprisingly not as bad as I thought; this is 8 WW points per serving.

Grocery List:
Recipe yields six servings

• 2 lb rump roast, trimmed (rump is leaner than chuck roast)
• Garlic salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 cup chili sauce
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. BBQ sauce (I used our favorite, Austin's Own, Medium Heat)
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha
• 2 cups carrots
• 1 cup celery (optional)
• 1/2 cup water (optional)

To start, sprinkle your roast with the garlic salt and pepper, then place in the crock pot. Surround with the celery, then the carrots. I thought I got most of what Plain Chicken used but come to find, I did not. I didn't have a Coke, and didn't want to use one, so I subbed the taste of apple cider vinegar for a little bit of tang and to help compensate for the missing liquid. I decided to start with just 1/4 cup so that it didn't over power and could somewhat keep sugars low, and that amount was perfect. In a bowl, mix the chili sauce, apple cider vinegar, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire and sriracha together until blended. At this point, I looked at it and thought I needed to "water" it up more so that is when I added the water.

 

Once mixed, pour the sauce over the contents in the crock pot, put the top on and walk away. If you are cooking for over 6 hours, cook on low-medium heat. If you are cooking for under 6 hours, cook on high heat.

When you come back, test the roast to see if it falls apart at the touch and move the contents around to get everything a little saucy.

When the roast is ready, scoop the meat and veggies into a bowl, top with some extra sauce and serve! 

 Served with cauliflower-potato mash

Kate's Easy Cauliflower-Potato Mash

Boil 1 large Yukon gold potato, cut in on inch cubes 

and 2 cups of cauliflower florets.

When soft, drain and add 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt,

with 1 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. butter.

Use electric beaters to mash until smooth and creamy

Serves 3-4

Tastefully yours,

Turkey Chili

As we all know, tonight is the Super Bowl. For the first time, I'm bypassing the watching parties so that I am not tempted by the amazing dips, sweets and sliders galore. I know myself and I do not have the will power to abstain from the bad stuff when it's sitting there next to me for hours. I want queso, I want guac, I want anything I can dip a chip into, I want chocolate and sugar, I want a beer, I want, I want, I want - but, I will not. So, Mr. Max is keeping me company, with a fire in the fireplace, and we are both getting some work done paying bills, filing taxes, working on upcoming event needs, all as we watch the Super Bowl. Boring? Perhaps. But you know, I'm totally okay with that. 

So, we needed to make some dinner and took a trip to the grocery store to stock up for the week and grab ingredients tonight. I can have peppers, I can have tomatoes, I can have lean ground turkey, I can have spices, I can have beans, I can have onions. Therefore, I can make a pot of chili for game watching without feeling guilty or like I'm missing out. You can never have too many chili recipes and this was very delicious and nutritious, so I wanted to share to add to your collection!

Click here for nutritional facts. Recipe yields 8 servings. 

Grocery List:

• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• 16 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes with diced green chiles (not drained)
• 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 12 oz. can canneloni beans, drained (white kidney beans)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• Cumin
• Chili powder
• Garlic salt
• 1 cup vegetable broth

Start by heating a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion to soften and cook for about 5 minutes.

 

Add the ground turkey, using a spatula, break it apart into smaller chunks. Season with 1 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. chili powder and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder.

 

As the turkey browns and cooks, add the tomato paste, beans, and tomatoes with green chiles to the crock pot over high heat. Give it a stir to blend the ingredients.

 

When you can't see any more visible pink in the turkey chunks, add the contents of the skillet to the crock pot. Add the packet of taco seasoning and stir. Finally, add the vegetable stock - a little at a time - until all mixed in.

 

 

Put the lid on and set the timer for about 2 hours. The longer it cooks, the more the spices blend together. I try to let mine simmer for 2-4 hours, but your time frame is up to you! Check in on it periodically, giving it a stir and adding any of the spices already used, at the discretion of your own taste buds. Throughout the cooking process, I added more cumin, chili powder and a pinch of garlic.

 

When you are ready, serve as you please! Mr. Max added a dollop of sour cream, cheese and corn chips to his. I had one cup of chili and added just 1 tbsp. of shredded cheese.

Tastefully yours,

Cider-Ginger Brisket

I picked up this recipe card at Whole Foods nearly a year ago, however, I misplaced it and recently came across it in my recipe binder. It's recipes like this that remind me why I should use my crock pot more often! The preparation process takes no time at all and when you get home at the end of the day, your home smells absolutely divine and the contents of the slow cooker tastes even better than they smell. Embrace the colder weather and give yourself a break with a crock pot meal this simple and hearty!

We absolutely loved the flavor of this meal and it was our first time to try parsnips. After the week of Thanksgivings, I needed a break from potatoes so I readily accepted the recipe suggestion. This was a perfect substitute and a new root vegetable that we both enjoyed. I decided to do a little google comparison between parsnips and potatoes and came to find that they are much lower in calories and contain more fiber and folic acid than potatoes. I'm considering a new type of mash to replace potatoes!

Moving along... this took 15 minutes to prepare before work one morning. I let it cook on low heat in the crock pot for 8.5 hours, which was the longest I've left my crock pot unattended but it worked out just fine. The result was an incredibly tender brisket with soft veggies in a tangy cider-vinegar broth.

Nutritional facts include: 400 calories, 15g fat, 24g carbs, 4g fiber, 10g sugar and 40g protein per serving.
Recipe yields 2 servings. 

Grocery List:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1.5 lbs. beef brisket
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. minced ginger
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar (for a more subtle taste, use regular apple cider)
• 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 3 parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

 To start, you want to season the meat with salt and pepper, then sear each side of the brisket in a little oil.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ginger and apple cider vinegar. In a crock pot, add the onions, parsnips, carrots, brisket and garlic, top with the beef broth. 

Add the vinegar and ginger mix, followed by the parsley. Cover and let cook for at least 6 hours on low heat. For a faster result, you can cook on high heat for 4 hours. 

When you return, your kitchen will smell incredible. Remove the lid and test a veggie or the brisket itself for a sneak peak of your dinner. The meat will fall apart at the slightest touch!

When you are ready to serve, break the meat apart and ladle into bowls, topping with the broth for more flavor. I look forward to making this one again... enjoy!!

Served with simple sauteed haricot verts

Tastefully yours,

Hatch Chile Stew

It is not a secret that Whole Foods is my favorite grocery store.The reason for this because of their fresh, wonderful selections and let's be honest, the proximity to my current residence. However, my world will be rocked in a month when I get to go through a move across town and I head back to my old 'hood from four years ago. At that time, Central Market will be my closest store and I will not hesitate to say, probably my new preference. Contrary to what some of my recipe posts may convey, I do like easy, people. Additionally, Central Market does have a one-up on Whole Foods because they offer cooking classes with some impressive product mention that is rather enticing AND they are advocates of the "sample while you shop" method. I am a fan of this, which leads into how we came across this gem of a meal.

To help acclimate myself again to my former and soon-to-be new stomping grounds, okay and maybe for the 4th course coupon for Dallas' Restaurant Week with purchase of $25, I decided to do my Sunday grocery shopping there a few weeks back. As I meandered through the maze that is the store, I sampled all kinds of treats. In the meat section, they had a Hatch Chile Stew with pulled pork at the demonstration station. I had two plastic cup helpings (you know, sometimes you taste the mini-spoon amount and think, I need to try it again, just to make sure that I loved that as much as I think I do). I then gave some to Mr. Max for his approval and the next thing I know, he had the jar and was adding it to the cart. Meet the star of this post.

For those looking for a nice and simple dinner, this is your winner. 

Yum. Thank you Will, Brian and Kyle.

Grocery List:

• 3/4 jar of jarred Green Chile Stew
• 1 lb. lean ground pork or turkey
• 3 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes
• 1/2 cup white corn

Preparing the potatoes is the most time consuming part and that is not saying much. Start by peeling and then chopping the potatoes down to small chunks. Now class, why do we prefer the smooth, white Yukon potatoes to rough, brown Russet potatoes?? Because they contain less starch! Once chopped, boil in a pot until they can be easily pierced by a fork, but do not over cook, you do not want mushy taters.

Next, add a dash of olive oil to the skillet to brown and cook your meat for about 10 minutes on medium-high heat.

Unpaid product placement: I highly recommend investing in this pasta scoop by Giada DiLaurentiis. It was apart of a cooking utensil birthday package that my brothers gave me. This really comes in handy! Once potatoes are ready, scoop and strain..........

 .........into a crock pot with the meat.

Add the jarred green chile mix and the corn into the crock pot on a high heat setting, stir together. 

To serve, spoon your stew into bowls, garnish with a nice shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and cilantro!

Chicken Mole

Thank you Gojee for this delicious dish! Once upon a time there was a Sunday - a busy Sunday. Full of worthless busy errands, spending dollars on silly things like gasoline, a car wash, a cute new work outfit with accessories just because, and new candles. All of this followed by a long, hot yoga class and HBO programming galore. Knowing this all would happen early in the day, I decided while I wanted to make dinner, I needed something easy and effortless. Gojee gave me this crock pot recipe and it was the perfect meal for this "busy" Sunday. There's just something about entering your home to the incredible aroma of food waiting for you. It's like a puppy who is so excited to see you when you get home, but easier to clean up after and not as committal. Yes, just like that...

Grocery List:

• 3 full chicken breasts (we are going for the full things this time, not the halves or cutlets)
• 1 onion, chopped well
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 oz. can green chilies
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 oz. unsweetened dark chocolate

Set your crock pot to high heat and place your whole chicken breasts at the bottom. Top with the onion, garlic and green chilies...

Followed by the crushed tomatoes, cumin, chili powder and salt.

Stir it all up to nicely coat the chicken and now you can leave for 6-8 hours as it cooks!

When you return, you will have those aromas aforementioned above. You will salivate. Take a peak!

We continue with the rest of the food preparation process by taking two forks and shredding the chicken breasts. After the nice long stint in a foodie hot tub, the chicken will break apart rather easily. It's okay now to sneak a little taste. That way you can taste the depth and flavor the next two ingredients bring!

Now, take 1 square of your unsweetened, dark chocolate bar.

and chop it up good.

Add the chocolate and the balsamic vinegar to the crock pot and stir it into the chicken and mole sauce until....

It looks like this!

mmmmmm

I served over a bed of organic brown rice and broiled sweet potato cubes, as suggested by the recipe author. I like her taste, it was a good pairing. We had plenty left over and turned it into tortilla wraps and sandwiches for leftover lunches!

Sweet and Spicy Beef Fajitas

These fajitas didn't involve anything too innovative or crazy, just an answer to my personal question "how can I make some delicious, summer tasting fajitas with contents of my fridge?", resulting in exactly what I was craving. This is an easy-to-follow recipe that will make your taste buds sing! I chose to use a crock pot because I wasn't in a hurry to have dinner prepared by a certain time, I also felt it allowed the veggies to reach prime fajita form.

The inception of the recipe went something like this.... I wanted to use up some mango I had in my fridge, mango is tropical and when I think of beef and fruit, I feel like soy sauce should be involved. Then, I still wanted to keep it Texican so I had a tomato I added to the mix and the bell peppers and onions were a must. I didn't want to saute them, I wanted them to slowly cook and soften to perfection so crock pot it was! I prefer beef tenderloin (fillet) as my steak of choice so I thought, why not see how it fares as fajita meat? Then, I needed some heat in the flavor so I called on my handy ancho-chile powder to do the trick. Using a little garlic here, a little left over fresh lime and cilantro there, and veggie stock to help those onions and peppers reach the perfect state, this recipe was born.

Grocery List:

• 8 - 10 oz. beef tenderloin, trimmed to 1/4 inch thick strips
• 1 red, yellow AND orange bell pepper, chopped into strips
• 1/2 of a sweet onion, cut into rings
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. ancho-chile powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp. Soy sauce
• Olive Oil
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup of mango, diced
• 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced

Additional:

• Sour cream
• Tortillas
• Shredded cheese
• Avocado (I wish I had some!)

With your crock pot setting on high, add the vegetable stock, onions, bell peppers and garlic to begin slow cooking.

Take your strips of beef in a bowl and add the lime, Worcestershire, cumin and ancho-chile powder. Let marinade for about 20 minutes, while your crock pot veggies are cooking.

In a skillet, saute your tomatoes in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

As you wait, check in on your crock pot veggies and give them a stir.

Add your mango in with the tomatoes and saute together for another 3-5 minutes. If I had more mango, I would have used more, just for your reference if you want to include additional chunks!

Now, add your steak and soy sauce - keep the stove on medium heat, the steak strips will cook too fast if on high heat.

Now add the cilantro to the meat mix and stir in to combine.

Once the steak is cooked to your desired perfection, add the contents of the skillet to the crock pot with the other veggies. Let sit on low/warm heat until you are ready to serve!

To serve, take a tortilla (I prefer whole wheat), top with a dash of sour cream then lay your onion and bell peppers....

Followed by strips of tasty steak....

And finally, what's a fajita without some shredded Mexi-blend cheese?

The mango and lime juice adds a fruity compliment to the natural sweet tastes of the yellow and orange bell peppers, while the beef has just a touch of heated spice for a combined sweet and spicy beef fajita. Roll it up and indulge!