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 Turkey Meatball Soup

Yup! Another meatball soup. I'm clearly a meatball soup convert. Which works out well, because this one is easy and so tasty. Yay. And in the slow cooker, it's perfect for when you want a hearty meal, but you're not in the mood to cook, or don't have the time.

YIELD 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

        6 medium mushrooms (1 1/2 cups), chopped

        1 medium onion, sliced

        4 small carrots (1 cup), peeled & chopped - no bigger than 1/2" pieces

        3 large celery stalks (2 cups), chopped - no bigger than 1/2" pieces

        4 cups chicken or beef stock

        1 tablespoon coconut aminos

        1/2 teaspoon salt

        1/2 teaspoon black pepper

        Red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)

        For Meatballs

        1 pound ground turkey

        1 tablespoon minced garlic

        1 egg, beaten

        1 teaspoon dried basil

        1 tablespoon dried onions

        1 teaspoon salt

        1/2 teaspoon black pepper

        1/4 cup almond flour

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Thoroughly combine ingredients for meatballs (don't form them yet), and refrigerate to firm up

    2.    Put the rest of the ingredients, except the red pepper flakes, in slow cooker

    3.    Use a tablespoon to scoop meat balls, and spread them atop the vegetables (Don't worry if they touch a bit - they're easy to break up once they're cooked)

    4.    Cook on low for 4-6 hours

Slow Cooker Chicken Goulash

Here's my colorful take on the classic Hungarian dish, goulash. It's typically made with beef, but when I was coming up with this, I was really in the mood for something lighter. And chicken sounded great with these ingredients. Don't worry though, it still cooks up to be a super hearty, comfort food dinner. Plus it's so easy. Oh, how I love easy. I make it in my slow cooker, which I'm totally in love with. The ultimate in "dump the ingredients in and voila!" cooking. No need to sauté anything beforehand. Just chop, cook and eat!

YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

        2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

        1 medium onion, sliced

        1 bell pepper, chopped

        1/2 small cabbage, shredded or chopped (depending on desired texture)

        4 medium tomatoes, chopped (2-3 cups)

        1 green onion, chopped for garnish (optional)

        2 tablespoons butter or ghee

        2 tablespoons minced garlic

        2 tablespoons tomato paste

        1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

        1 tablespoon honey

        1 tablespoon paprika

        1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

        2 teaspoons salt

        1 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Simplest ever. Get all your ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for about 3 hours

    2.    Near the end (around the last half hour), use a fork to break up the chicken, stir it in and allow to cook a bit more and soak up the yumminess

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

Slow Cooker Chicken Potato Soup with Apples

Thad's dubious. "We're having apple soup for dinner?" Yeah, that's fair. Putting apples in soup sounds like a ploy to use up the rest of our bumper crop of backyard apple tree apples. Which, alright fine, it totally is. But a girl can only freeze so much apple sauce. So here was my shot at a savory apple dish, and I've gotta say, it's SO so good. The apples give a lovely, smooth balance to the onions and garlic. And I promise it's not even a little weird. Just all yummed up with hearty potato, chicken, apple tastiness.

* Potato thoughts

YIELD 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

        1 pound skinless chicken breast, chopped

        4 medium potatoes, cubed (no need to peel)

        2 small/medium apples w/ skin on, cubed (I used ginger gold for an even balance between sweet and tart)

        1 large sweet onion, sliced

        1 tablespoon minced garlic

        1 tablespoon ghee or butter

        1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

        1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

        1/2 teaspoon black pepper

        1/2 teaspoon coriander

        1 teaspoon thyme

        1 1/2 cups water

        Green onions, chopped (optional, for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Combine all ingredients (except green onions) in crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours

    2.    About 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, fork the chicken to shred it (it should fall apart easily and soak up lots of the yummy broth)

    3.    Allow to finish cooking and serve