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Showing posts with label slow cooker meal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label slow cooker meal. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Tex Mex Tacos

This is by far our favorite taco recipe. It is so so simple and yet full of flavor.

Marinate a chuck roast in a can of Coke

Layer half of a yellow onion and 3 cloves of garlic on the bottom of your crock pot.

Place roast in slow cooker with a half can of fresh Coke, a cup of salsa, fresh lime juice (one lime), Chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes, fresh peppers or jalapeno-- to liking. Add more of whatever, just make sure the the roast is not dry at all.

This recipe is best cooked on low for six hours. It literally falls apart when it is ready.

Serve with chopped romaine, avocado slices, white onion, pico de gallo, and sour cream.


I will freeze the leftovers that we have from this!

Homemade marinara meat sauce

I got this recipe from deepsouthdish.com--

Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups of chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
  • 1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
  • 8 cups of peeled and chopped tomatoes, juices retained
  • 2 pounds of ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon of dried basil
  • 2 large bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 1 cup of beef stock or broth
  • 3 (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons of dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoningor to taste, optional
Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the tomato paste and cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, or if using canned, cut the tomatoes up in the can with kitchen shears, then add them with their juices and bring to a boil; reduce to medium, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree with an immersion blender if desired, or can leave chunky.

Cook ground beef in a separate skillet, drain off fat and add to sauce along with the Italian seasoning, basil, bay leaves, salt, pepper and sugar. Stir in the beef stock and tomato sauce, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer over medium low, covered, for 2 hours or longer. Taste, stir in parsley and Cajun seasoning, if using, and adjust seasonings as needed.

Cook's Notes: While it will vary on the size of the tomatoes, you'll need about 5 to 6 large tomatoes or somewhere around 4 pounds total. Out of season, substitute 1 large (1 pound 12 ounce) can of whole, Italian style tomatoes and 1 large (1 pound 12 ounce) can of pureed or crushed tomatoes for the fresh. I like to use Cento brand San Marzano Italian style tomatoes. Omit sugar if using canned tomatoes. This recipe makes approximately 12 to 14 cups of meat sauce, enough for two meals. I often set aside about 6 cups to make lasagna or ziti. Okay to substitute dry bouillon or beef base (like Better than Bouillon) with water for the beef broth.

Variation: Substitute half Italian sausage, ground venison, or raw, bulk pork sausage (not breakfast sausage) for half the ground beef, or use a combination of other meats for a total of 2 pounds.

Slow Cooker:  Prepare as above, but transfer to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.



I am going to make it in the slow cooker and then freeze what we don't use. We will see how it turns out!