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)

Slow Cooker Sausage Eggplant Stew

Another slow cooker gem! Big flavors and easy prep make this another one of my favorites. And the eggplant soaks up all that flavor, while adding it's own subtle sweetness. Love it.

* I used spicy pork sausage for this recipe, but if you're not into spicy, feel free to substitute with something milder. Keep in mind though, if you sub chicken sausage you'll be getting less fat. It will still be yummy, but will affect the richness of the stew.

YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

        1 pound uncooked spicy pork sausage

        1 medium eggplant, cubed

        1 medium onion, chopped

        4 medium tomatoes, chopped

        1 bell pepper, chopped

        1 tablespoon butter

        1 tablespoon minced garlic

        1/2 teaspoon coriander

        1 teaspoon salt

        1/2 black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Prepare your vegetables and toss into the slow cooker with the butter, garlic, coriander, salt and pepper

    2.    If your sausage is still in the casings, carefully slit them open, peel off, and break the sausage up, combining it into the contents of the slow cooker

    3.    Cook on high for 3 hours or until sausage is completely done