Crock Pot Beef Stew

There’s nothing better than a warm, tasty stew on a chilly February evening. This is a simple, gluten-free stew that is sure to warm you and yours to the core! And this sure beats beef stew from a can — ENJOY!

Crock Pot Beef Stew*

(serves 6-8 people)

Prep Time:  15 min.   Cook Time:  4-6 hours

2-3 pounds beef, cubed

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons corn starch, divided (or rice flour or all-purpose GF flour)

1 teaspoon salt + ½ teaspoon pepper + 1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons oil (coconut or olive)

¼ cup diced onions OR 2 tablespoons minced onion

2  15-ounce cans GF beef broth

2 cups hot water

4-5 medium potatoes, diced

1 16-ounce bag frozen, mixed vegetables, cooked

Salt & pepper to taste (2 teaspoons salt + ½ teaspoon pepper)

Put cubed beef, salt/pepper/garlic powder mixture and ¼ cup corn starch (or flour) into sealed plastic bag; toss until beef is evenly covered.

 

Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat; add beef and onions. Brown beef, stirring often; don’t overcook or beef will be tough – cook only until beef is lightly browned and still slightly pink in the middle.

Pour into crock pot, then add beef broth, water, vegetables, potatoes, salt & pepper.  Cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.

About 15 minutes before serving, mix 2 tablespoons corn starch with cold water in a small cup.  Pour into crock pot and stir for about 1-2 minutes until liquid thickens & gets cloudy.

OPTIONAL:  Serve with GF and/or regular crackers, salad, Chi-Chi’s® Sweet Corn Cake.

* This recipe can also be made in a large Dutch oven on the stovetop.  Just brown the meat in the large Dutch oven and then add the rest of the ingredients; bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 1 hour or until potatoes are soft.

  

Chicken, Vegetable & Rice soup

Well, my apologies for not getting a post up here sooner — I’ve been a BUSY mama — I was even a guest on a TV show talking about miscarriage. BUT — the good news: I’m still cooking, the family is still eating, and here is a recent recipe I made. Stay tuned later this week — I’m trying a brand new recipe today in the crock pot — if it turns out, I’ll share it!

With this recipe I had 3 chicken leg-thigh portions and decided to boil them in water to cook the chicken. Then I used the water to make my own broth (use cheesecloth & a strainer to strain out the bone marrow & other junk to get a nice, clear broth — then I added 1 can of GF chicken broth).

Chicken, Vegetable & Rice Soup  (serves 6)

Prep Time: 10 min.    Cook Time: 40 min.

2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins (in small cubes)*  **

1 tablespoon minced onion OR 1/3 small onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon oil

Salt & pepper to taste

2 cans GF chicken broth

2 CANS water

1  16oz bag frozen mixed vegetables (thawed/warmed in microwave)

1 ½ cups instant rice

 

In large Dutch oven, heat oil.  Add chicken, onions, salt & pepper; stir-fry it, cooking until done (pink is gone).  Add broth, water, vegetables and rice.

     

Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low-medium for 30 minutes (or until rice is tender).

 

OPTIONAL:  serve with salad and/or Chi-Chi’s Sweet Corn Cake.

* To make it even easier/quicker, you can use Tyson Grilled & Ready Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Strips (non-flavored) instead of chicken breasts/tenderloins.

** If cooking whole leg/thigh, boil in water until chicken is no longer pink. Then remove chicken from water and pull off portions of meat. If you want to use the water as your base broth, follow directions below:

Boil chicken leg/thigh in water until no longer pink. Remove from water & take off meat pieces.

Water has leftover residue from chicken (we want clear broth).

Strain water/broth into another large pan or bowl.

Strain broth several times through strainer with cheese-cloth (or T-shirt!!!) to strain out unwanted residue from chicken.

After straining several times, you should have a nice, clear broth like this. Then just add your chicken & vegetables, following the rest of the directions above.