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.

Crockpot Omelet Casserole

I got this from a cookbook compiled from ladies at church, but I've modified it quite a bit since then. The original recipe was huge, so I've adapted it to serve about 6 people.
This has some 'western' ingredients, and we like them so we just do it this way...however I'm sure it would be good with olives, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, or whatever you like best in an omelet.
I didn't include a photo because the truth is this one isn't very pretty...the eggs especially end up looking quite weird. But it tastes great! It's convenient to be able to put it in before we go to bed, and then have a hearty breakfast waiting for us when we get up. We like to do it for Christmas morning.

• 2 cups of cubed potatoes (I like using red or gold, with the thin skins, or else peel them. Cut to about 1cm cubes. The original recipe called for using a bag of hash browns, if you do, we like 'country style' best)
• 1/2-3/4 lb pre-cooked meat (cubed leftover ham, sausage, etc)*
• 1 medium onion (about 1/2-3/4 c) chopped 
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped (about 3/4-1c, I often use frozen strips chopped up)
• 1-1 1/2 c grated monterey jack cheese
• 8 eggs
• 2/3 c milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

*the original recipe calls for ham. This last time we didn't have any though, so I used sausage and it was really good. The spiciness did permeate all the other foods, so the other flavors were not as clear...but it was still good!

I used a 4 qt crockpot

Chop all the ingredients. Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the crockpot, followed by a layer of meat then onions, peppers, and cheese. Repeat the layering process two or three more times, ending with a layer of cheese.
In a separate container, beat the eggs, add the milk, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture around over everything in the crockpot, cover, and turn on low. Cook about 8-10 hours (we find it always gets done in the lesser time).

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.

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!)

Rotisserie Chicken in a Crockpot!

This is not my recipe, but a friend posted it on her blog and just looking at the pictures makes me all drooly, so obviously I will be trying this soon. :)

http://mickismenagerie.blogspot.com/2008/08/recipe-rotisserie-chicken-in-your.html

I do want to add a couple of notes:
At the end she does a great job of describing how to make bone broth (which is the healthy kind!) She mentions that you can add bullion...while technically I'm sure you can, I never do because bullion has MSG which is bad news. I DO often add chopped onion, celery, and garlic. They all will add flavor and make an amazing broth (and the actual chunks will be strained out with the bones).

Also, as someone who likes to cook with whole chickens (for the purpose of having leftover bones for broths!) You don't have to debone the thing...just serve it whole like the turkey at Thanksgiving. Then just collect all the nibbled-on bones when you're done and stick them in the broth. Yes, I do put those bones in for the broth...it's going to boil for hours people, it's not like any cooties will survive!