Beef & Broccoli (in a crockpot)

I adapted this recipe from these two here and here (the links show a standard way to make it in a wok, but this is my crockpot version). My biggest complaint about the B&B I've usually gotten is that the beef is tough and chewy. Using a crockpot seemed like the obvious solution for this, and it works beautifully!
The first time I did this I put the broccoli in at the start with the beef and it turned to grey mush. Don't do that! Save it for the end like the directions say. Also, I found that this really only needed to go for about 4-5 hours, but I had put it in too early so ended up putting it on 'warm' for a few hours in the middle of the day to slow the cooking...it worked, but next time I'll just put it in later in the day. So this is not a leave-it-all-day recipe, but it can be put in in the early afternoon. ☺

[my apologies, I forgot to get a photo of this...but it looks awesome I promise!]

Cooktime--about 4-6 hours

Marinade:
1/3 c oyster sauce (don't try to substitute this, it really is the magic ingredient--you can find it in the Asian section of the grocery store)
1 Tbs Asian (toasted) sesame oil
1-2 tsp soy sauce
1/4-1/3 c rice wine vinegar (in the Asian section) OR rice wine OR cooking sherry (the recipes call for the wine/sherry, I didn't have it so I used the rice vinegar and it was fine. You could probably get away with plain white vinegar, but if you cook much Asian you'll want the rice stuff on hand anyway, so just get it!)
1 Tbs cornstarch (or 2 Tbs flour)
2-4 cloves minced garlic (or 1-2Tbs garlic powder)
1 thin slice of ginger root, shredded (or about 1/4 tsp powdered ginger)

3/4-1 lb beef. Ideally steak cut into strips (can be raw or leftover), but you can also use stew meat or pretty much any cut. I don't recommend leftover roast as it will shred rather than staying in nice chunks.
1 smallish onion, cut into strips
1 small head broccoli, cut up (or about 3/4 lb frozen florettes)

Mix up all the ingredients of the marinade. Put beef in the crockpot (I used a 4qt) and pour the sauce over it and stir around until the beef is well coated. Turn on low. After the first couple of hours, check in on it and see if it's getting done. The meat should be all browned though not thoroughly cooked at this point. Stir it around to keep the sauce distributed, and adjust the cooking temperature up to 'high' or down to 'warm' if you think it's going too slow/fast for when you want to serve dinner.
At about 90 min before dinner time, put in the onion and stir it all around.
At about 60 min before dinner time, put in the broccoli (or 40 min for frozen florettes). Stir it all around.

Serve over rice.

Stovies (Scotland)

We found this recipe when looking for something scottish to celebrate Saint Andrew's Day. Stovies are a great way to use up some leftover beef and gravy. Of course you can work from scratch also, but I have a feeling this is really meant as a sort of "inspired leftovers" meal. I got this recipe from epicurean, who recommends serving them with oat cakes. I've just copied the recipe from there, and added my own notes.
These were a big hit, and will definitely be regularly seen on our menu in the future.

50g (2 oz.) oil, drippings or butter (I used bacon grease)
3 medium onions, roughly chopped
1 kg (2 pounds) floury potatoes, main crop or new
125ml (4 oz.) meat stock or gravy (I used a handful of my beef-stock 'ice' cubes)
125-250g (4-8 ounces) cooked meat (I threw in ground beef because I didn't have leftovers handy. I just browned it, drained it, and set it aside, then added it back in later as per the recipe.)
2 -3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, chives, or spring onions
Seasoning salt, freshly ground black pepper, allspice, or grated nutmeg

Directions:
You will need a large heavy-base pan with a tight-fitting lid. Heat the fat in it and add the onions. Cook until lightly brown. Peel potatoes if they are "main crop", but leave the skins on new potatoes. Slice about 5mm (1/4-inch) thick. Or slice roughly in different thickness so that the thin go into a mush, while the others stay whole. Add them to the pan with the onions and stir well. coating all sides with the fat.
Put the lid on the pan and leave on a low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times. (I used a cast iron pan that didn't have a lid, so I used a piece of foil which worked great. You do need some kind of lid though.)Then add the gravy or water. Cover and cook over a very low heat, stirring once or twice until the potatoes are cooked. Add the meat, mix through, and turn up the heat to brown a little.

Taste for seasoning. Mix in some freshly chopped parsley, chives, or green onion and serve with oatcakes and a glass of milk.

Pulled Pork (or Beef) Sandwiches

You've asked for slowcooker recipes...
☺
My husband actually does most of the crockpot cooking around here. He does this one with a homemade barbecue sauce. Sorry, I can't give you the recipe for that, because he can't give me the recipe for that, because he just dumps stuff in and does it by smell every time. 
Purchased barbecue sauce usually has lots of additives, but if you learn to make your own it can be free of gluten and other allergens... ours usually has tomato paste, tomato sauce or ketchup, brown sugar and/or honey, vinegar, chili powder, garlic powder, liquid smoke, salt, etc...(Obviously to be GF you'd then have to eat the meat with a fork, rather than on a bun...but we tend to do that sometimes anyway!)
You can also do this with beef brisket.

1 pork shoulder of several pounds (other pieces may work also, but you want one that will shred apart, so not chops or loin) With or without bone is fine.
Barbecue sauce
(that's it!)

Put the (thawed) meat in the crockpot, cover it with barbecue sauce (as in, put sauce all over it, not bury it under a lake of sauce!). Cook on high for a few hours. I always like to check in on it about halfway through the day,  and if it's cooking fast then switch it to low...but it can go on high for a good 6-8 hours (or on low for 10-12 I would guess).When it is done, get a fork or knife or tongs and pull the meat all apart. Stir it around, add a little more sauce if you like, and let it cook a few more minutes.
Serve on rolls (I used these ones) with mayo and/or barbecue sauce.

The Good Stuff (aka Homemade Hamburger Helper)

I think in the official family recipe book this is called "Hamburger Cheese Macaroni Dish" but everyone in the family just calls it "The Good Stuff."
The original recipe calls for american cheese--the processed junk like velveeta. That will give it more of an "out of the box" taste, but if you like classier food I'd recommend using grated cheddar. ☺

serves about 6

About 1 lb ground beef
4 cups cooked *macaroni noodles (about 3 c uncooked)
1 10.5 oz can tomato soup
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
About 1/2 lb cheese (diced american, or grated cheddar)

*shell noodles work fine, but I don't recommend trying penne or spaghetti or something too different...

Cook noodles. Meanwhile brown the hamburger in a large saucepan and drain off the grease. Mix in tomato sauce, soup, and noodles. Melt in the cheese.

Bone Broth

(I originally posted most of this here, and you might appreciate some of the comments that were left there. However it's still worth reading here as this post has additional information and links.)

The best broth in the world comes from bones, not from meat. Bones are full of nutrients, and even when the meat is gone, bones can provide several more meals if you know what to do with them. At our house, bones never end up in the garbage can!

The best part of the bird, really!

Here's a short overview:

• Bones (in the marrow) have lots of vitamins in them. The best way to get those nutrients out is to leech it out into broth. You know how you always heard that chicken soup was good when you're sick? Well, if it's made with real bone broth, it actually does have immuno-boosting properties! If you add 1 Tbs or so of vinegar to the water, it helps to get the nutrients out of the bone and into the broth. (This is in a 6-7qt crockpot)
• Add 1 Tbs salt (ideally unrefined sea salt!). It will taste really weird without it, I know it seems like a ton of salt, but good unrefined salt is actually really good for you--your body needs it for blood production and adrenal support.
  Adding onion, celery, garlic, or other herbs can make for a richer broth, but they are optional.
• Putting fat and skin in the broth will make it nice and fatty, and it does taste good, but those parts of the animal (especially poultry) tend to hold toxins, so many people prefer to avoid having them in the broth.
• Putting meat in the broth will not add to flavor, and it will suck the flavor out of the meat...so strip off the meat, then make the broth with just the bones. After the broth is done, strain it, and then if you want to make soup go ahead and put the meat back in at the end.
• Feel free to use bones that have been nibbled...after all, 12 hours of boiling will destroy any germs...
• If you don't have enough bones to make a broth yet, just save them in the freezer until you do have enough.
• Once made, bone broth can be canned in a pressure cooker and kept in the pantry, or it can be refrigerated or frozen. My mom puts it in a jar in the fridge to cool, then freezes it in ice cube trays. Once it's frozen into cubes, she stores it in a big ziplock bag in the freezer. Anytime she has a recipe that calls for broth, she can easily grab a cube or two or five and toss them in!
• Oh yeah, real bone broth tastes better than that canned stuff or *gag*choke* MSG-laden bullion. Use it for soups, sauces, graveys, or even cooking rice.
• "Broth is Beautiful" (published by the WestonAPrice Foundation)--this page has lots of information about the health benefits of bone broth, as well as specific recipes for chicken, beef, and fish stock, and how to use your stock to make sauces (the recipes are at the bottom--just scroll down).
  
• "Why Broth is Beautiful" is a lengthy article (with lots of references) explaining more of the health benefits of bone broth.
  

Chicken and Turkey Put the bones in a crockpot, cover them with water, and let them simmer at least overnight (they can stay as long as 2 days if you don't get to them sooner, but we find 24 hours to be ideal) . If you don't have a crockpot, you can let them simmer on the stove for at least 4-5 hours (ideally 8-12). At this point the bones will be bending, breaking, and literally falling apart. This is good--it means you've gotten all the nutrients out of them! Strain out all the solids, and voila, the best broth you've ever had.

Beef Same as chicken, just stick the bones in a crockpot or stockpot, and let them simmer for hours...

Ham Take that hambone and stick it in the pot along with any bits of leftover ham, plenty of water, and lots of beans. My mom always used pinto beans, my mother in law uses white 'navy' beans. You can pretty much use whatever you like. Add some onion, garlic, celery, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Let it simmer all day...

Fish I confess that I can't stand fish broth, but it's mostly because I don't care for most seafood...if you like seafood, or even a good clam chowder, try making fish broth! The whole heads can go in, so this is an especially good option if you catch your own fish, or buy them with the heads on. ☺

Pork (ribs etc) Honestly, we usually give these ones to the dog. She loves them. However pork bones can make a stock just like any other bones.

Mmmm, nothin like real broth!

(I know it looks ikky, but I just wish you could smell this picture!)

Beef Stroganoff

The original recipe I found used ground beef and an onion soup mix, but I've adapted it, added some things, and made it yummier and healthier to boot!


1 c Leftover beef (from steak, roast, etc) chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 chopped onion
3/4-1 c sour cream
1-2 cans cream of mushroom soup
4 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
4 c cooked pasta
(amounts are pretty flexible, I just put approximately what I use--I don't measure!)

Set noodles to cook (they will need around 15 min, and everything else will cook within that time)
If beef is not pre-cooked, then put beef and onion in a hot skillet and saute until meat is cooked and onions look glassy (to prevent sticking, add a little oil if beef is not fatty). If beef IS pre-cooked, then just saute onions, and add beef after onions are glassy. Mix in Worcestershire as the beef cooks.
Dump in sour cream and cream of mushroom soup with the meat/onions, and stir in pan until mixed and warmed-through.
Serve over noodles!

Semi-Homemade Taco Soup

Alright, so I figure this is a 'cheating' sort of recipe, because it involves almost no real cooking--just a lot of dumping and stirring. On the other hand, it is yummy, and everybody needs an easy meal sometimes, right?

Prep time--about 5 minutes.

Cooking time--oh, another 5-10 minutes...

Meat (1 lb ground beef or 1 can chicken) (optional--lentils make a nice meat substitute too)

1 med onion, chopped

2-4c broth (anything that goes with your meat choice, amount varies by how thick you like your soup!)

1 can black beans

1 can corn

1 can tomatoes (diced or stewed)

1 small can diced chilis

1 packet taco seasoning (or chili powder, salt, etc as desired)

(The soup here was made with canned chicken) --------->

If using beef, place in a large saucepan to brown. Saute onions in with the grease. If using chicken, add a Tbs of oil to saute the onions, then add the chicken second. If using lentils, cook them first. Add taco seasoning to the meat. Drain off extra grease as applicable.

Dump in all canned ingredients--do not drain. Stir a bit, then add as much broth as it takes to get the consistency you want.

Let simmer for a few minutes until warmed through.

Serve topped with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, and/or fritos or crumbled corn chips.

Peli Cheesesteak

One leftover potroast, sliced thin
One large onion, thinly sliced
Spices
Mozzarella cheese
Homemade rolls

Saute the onion in a little oil and some spices (I cheated and used the 'steak rub' from costco) until it is soft. Grate the cheese. Fry the beef lightly with the onion until browned on both sides.
Slice a roll, lay in a piece of hot meat, sprinkle on a goodly pile of cheese, then a nice heap of onions. Close roll. Devour with gusto.

It's not quite a philly cheesesteak...but dang it was good!