Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This stew is so good with it's rich, herby wine broth and hearty veggies. Goes perfectly with a mixed greens salad and cashew bread. Now, heads-up: I break my slow cooker rule with this recipe, but it's worth it. In my opinion, slow cookers should normally be used for three-step-cooking: chop, dump and cook. Right? We use them for ease. But this time I went ahead and added a few more steps. Nothing complicated, and definitely worth the extra time and effort. Enjoy!

YIELD 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds chuck or stew meat, cut into 1 inch-ish pieces

2 medium potatoes, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 cup red wine

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons salt + little extra for seasoning meat

1 teaspoon black pepper + little extra for seasoning meat

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried basil

3 tablespoons coconut aminos

1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch

1 tablespoons coconut oil or butter (for searing)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a skillet on med/high with some coconut oil or butter and add chopped beef, onions and garlic (you should hear a sizzle, or the skillet isn't hot enough yet), sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and sear (for meat, about 3 to 5 minutes on both sides)
2. Be careful not to crowd the meat (sear in batches if necessary) and cook until everything is browned and caramelly
3. Take a minute to stir tapioca flour into 1/2 cup of room temp/cold chicken stock (hot liquid causes it to clump) and set aside while meat is searing
4. When meat/garlic/onions are ready, pour a cup of chicken stock into pan to deglaze, getting all that yummy browned goodness off the bottom of the pan, then combine beef/garlic/onions with rest of ingredients in slow cooker
5. Stir tapioca/chicken stock mixture into slow cooker as well
6. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours
7. During last 30 minutes of cooking, carefully transfer slow cooker contents to a large pot and simmer uncovered until thickened (should take no longer than 30 minutes)

Bacon Spinach Stuffed Pinwheel Steaks

This is such a fun, yummy way to prepare steak. And look how pretty!

* If you're avoiding soy, try substituting coconut aminos in place of the Bragg's liquid aminos, Worcestershire sauce or tamari.

YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

        1 1/2 pounds flank steak

        4 strips of bacon

        2 cups fresh spinach

        1/8 cup sun dried tomatoes (not stored in oil), soaked and chopped

        1/4 onion, chopped

        Salt and pepper

        For Marinade

        1/2 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos or tamari

        1/4 cup gluten-free Worcestershire sauce

        4 tablespoons minced garlic

        1 tablespoon lemon juice

        1 teaspoon dried basil

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Mix marinade ingredients and, in a large resealable bag, marinate steak for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better)

    2.    Preheat oven to 350F

    3.    Soak sun dried tomatoes in enough boiling water to cover them, for about ten minutes to rehydrate, then chop them up

    4.    Chop bacon and onion, and sauté until bacon is crisp and onions are tender

    5.    Now the steak. It's likely a long cut of meat, so to make it more manageable, cut in half, across the grain

    6.    Now you'll be preparing each piece the same way. Place them in front of you with the grain running perpendicular to you (not side-to-side). You want the steak to be thin and rollable, so with a sharp knife, carefully butterfly the meat, halving the thickness. This means you want to start at the end closest to you and cut away from yourself (knife parallel with the table), through the center of the meat, until you reach about an inch from the other side. Then stop cutting to leave that end intact. The result should be a piece of meat that opens up like a book. A weird, meaty book.

    7.    Open your steaks up and evenly salt and pepper them to taste, then arrange a layer of spinach, sun dried tomatoes, onions and bacon on each piece

    8.    Beginning at one end, tightly roll each up and secure with several toothpicks or cooking string

    9.    Before they go in the oven, cut each roll in half, and bake them standing up on their ends (spiral facing up)

    10.    Bake 30-60 minutes, depending on desired doneness, then allow to rest for a few minutes, removing toothpicks/string and cutting each roll in half to serve

Steak Salad with Avocado

YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

        1 pound sirloin, cut into 3-4 inch strips

        1 avocado, chopped

        8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

        1/4 cup sunflower seeds

        2 tablespoons green onions, finely chopped

        1/2 cup cilantro leaves

        6 cups mixed greens

        For Dressing

        1/2 cup olive oil

        1/4 cup fresh lime juice

        2 tablespoons honey

        1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

        1 teaspoon minced garlic

        1/2 teaspoon salt

        1/4 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Whisk together dressing ingredients and refrigerate until you need it (store in a jar and give a few good shakes to blend later)

    2.    Trim excess fat and connective tissue from beef and cut into strips - rub with salt and pepper (once they are cooked I like to cut them into bite-sized pieces - up to you)

    3.    Oil skillet, heat to medium/low and pan fry beef for a few minutes on each side (careful not to overcook) and take the beef out once it reaches your desired level of doneness

    4.    Toss the rest of the salad ingredients and serve with beef strips and dressing

Beef and Broccoli

Ready for a tasty Asian-inspired beef dish? This one is easy, uses just one skillet, and it makes great leftovers.

* If you're avoiding soy, try substituting coconut aminos in place of the Bragg's liquid aminos or tamari.

YIELD 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

        1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 3-4 inch strips

        6 to 8 large mushrooms, sliced

        1/4 onion, chopped

        1 head broccoli, chopped

        1 head cauliflower (for rice)

        Sesame seeds to garnish

        Oil to coat skillet (coconut is my favorite, but if you use olive oil, just make sure the heat doesn't get too high)

        For Sauce

        1/2 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos or gluten-free tamari

        1/2 cup water

        1 tablespoon minced garlic

        1 to 2 teaspoons ginger powder, depending on preference

        2 teaspoons hot sauce

        1 tablespoon honey

        1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.     Dissolve arrowroot in the 1/2 cup of water, then stir into the rest of the ingredients for sauce - this is also your marinade, so you can prepare this the night before, morning of, or at least an hour before cooking to give meat enough time to marinate

    2.    Trim excess fat and connective tissue from beef and cut into strips, then place strips in sauce and refrigerate (once they are cooked I like to cut them into bite-sized pieces - up to you)

    3.    Prepare cauliflower rice and set aside (To keep warm, keep covered in a pan on lowest heat, stirring occasionally. If your stove runs hot and you're worried about overcooking, put in a covered dish and wrap in a towel.)

    4.    Prepare your veggies, oil large skillet and heat to medium/low - pan fry your beef (not the sauce) for a few minutes on each side - careful not to overcook

    5.    Take the beef out once it reaches your desired level of doneness, leaving the drippings in the skillet and toss the broccoli florets and onions in

    6.    Allow broccoli and onions to cook for a few minutes, stirring them until they begin to get tender and then add the mushrooms

    7.    Give all the veggies a few more minutes to cook and then pour in the sauce

    8.    Simmer for a few minutes, until sauce thickens a little, turn down the heat to low, and add beef to warm with the dish

    9.    Serve over cauliflower rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds