Crockpot Sloppy Joes

3lbs hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c sliced celery
1 c chopped green pepper
1 ½ c ketchup
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 6oz can tomato paste
¾ c water
2 T apple cider vinegar (or3T if you like a bit more tang)
3 T brown sugar
1 t dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste

In a large frying pan cook hamburger and vegetables.  Put this in crockpot and add remaining ingredients.  Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve over sandwich rolls.

VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

2 pounds stew beef
1 medium to large sized onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 potatoes, washed and diced
1 quart green beans, drained
1 cup red wine, optional
1 large can (49.5 oz) beef broth
salt and pepper
thyme


How to:


Heat your pot with some oil on med-high heat. I used lard. Once it's nice and hot, add your stew beef. Brown it on all sides, by stirring occasionally. Next, add your onion and garlic and just a bit of salt and pepper. If you add the salt and pepper in stages, the soup will have a richer flavor because one ingredient won't taste flat.  


Once the onion starts to become translucent, add the wine if you're using it. If not, use 1 cup of your broth. Although the wine is optional, I feel it really adds a depth to the flavor that you won't get otherwise. Turn your heat down to medium and let cook for about 5 minutes while you prepare your other vegetables. As they're cleaned and chopped, add the celery, carrots and potatoes in that order. Add the rest of your broth, cover and simmer until the carrots and potatoes are tender.  


Once your veggies are done, add the green beans. Taste the broth and add bit more salt and pepper and some thyme. I didn't measure the thyme, but I would start with a couple of teaspoons for this amount of soup. Let the soup simmer for about another half hour to marry the flavors. Just before serving, taste the broth and adjust the seasonings again, if necessary.


Notes:


It's better to add seasonings a bit at a time. You can always add more, but can't take it out if you add too much.  


This is a huge batch of soup. I feel it's better to make more and then have extra to freeze for lunches or another dinner because it's no extra work. If that's not your bag, cut the recipe in half.


If you don't have a garden and can your own beans, use two cans of store bought beans instead.


Sometimes I add corn to this. You could also add parsnips, green pepper, mushrooms or any other veggie you love. Also, you could add rice, barley or noodles to the broth at the time you add your green beans.


If you make steak, roasts or ribs - save those bones and make your own beef stock. Not only will it save you $$, it doesn't get any more nutritious than homemade bone broth. We just bought a grass-fed cow and I have a freezer full of bones that I will be using to make lots of broth with with the next week or so. Unfortunately, I didn't have it ready for this pot of soup.

Texas Barbeque Sauce

~This recipe makes a big batch of BBQ sauce with just a hint of spiciness!
1- 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 c water
½ c ketchup, fruit sweetened if possible
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
¼ c Worcestershire sauce
¼ c brown sugar
2 t dry mustard
2 t salt
½ t chili powder
¼ t cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors.

Spicy Beef and Beans over Brown Rice

This is a recipe i also got from  my friend Crystal ..

 
2 cups dry pinto beans
1lb. beef stew meat
8 cups water
1 T salt
1 onion, chopped
Jalapeno peppers, chopped (as many as you like..  the more you add the spicier it will be)
Olive oil
1 cup of your favorite salsa
Cooked Brown Rice
In a large stock pot combine pinto beans, stew meat, water and salt.  Let cook and simmer for 2 ½ hours or until beans are soft and meat is tender.
 After  beans and meat have finished cooking heat a frying pan and add olive oil, chopped onions and peppers.  Cook until onion is soft.  Add this to the bean/beef mix.  Add salsa and mix and let sit for a little bit so flavors can blend.

Southwest Stew

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb boneless pork cut up into cubes
1 large onion diced
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1/2 cup beef broth
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans

Brown your pork cubes in olive oil along with the garlic and onion. Put this in your crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.  Serve this with tortilla chips and garnish the stew with a dollop of sour cream.

 You can  sub beef or chicken for the pork

Delicious Italian Casserole

1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 lb hamburger
*note: you can also use all sausage or all hamburger
½ onion, chopped
¼ c. Italian seasoning
2 c. tomato sauce
*note—You can substitute 2 cups spaghetti sauce for the Italian seasonings and tomato sauce
1½ c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ c. sour cream
enough whole wheat dough to make one loaf of bread
*note, in a pinch you can use frozen bread dough or even canned biscuits
2 T. butter
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

To begin with brown your sausage and along with the onions. Drain excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce and seasoning. Remove from heat and spoon into ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish. Combine mozzarella cheese and sour cream. Spoon over meat sauce. Roll out bread dough and lay across top of casserole. Melt butter and combine with Parmesan cheese. Spread this over the dough. Bake this in a 350 degree oven for about 35 to 40minutes, or until bread is cooked and casserole is heated and bubbly. If using canned biscuits it may not take as long, so watch carefully. Serve this with a large tossed green salad and enjoy!

This casserole freezes very nicely too. Freeze before baking. On cooking day thaw first and bake as above.

My Favorite and Easy Enchilada Sauce

8 oz. tomato sauce
3 more cans of water (use the tomato sauce can for your measurement)
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. taco seasonings

Mix all of these in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium high heat. Cook for about 2 minutes and it is ready.

Making Enchiladas:
I make enchiladas by filling my whole wheat tortillas with some type of filling. I will use beans, rice, cheese, chicken, and hamburger, usually seasoned with taco seasonings. I find it a good use for leftover beans or rice. The measurements are not really that important. I just mix my filling in a bowl and then fill each tortilla down the center, roll them up and put them in my baking pan (I do 2-9x13 pans usually). Then pour the enchilada sauce over everything, making them a little soupy so that they don’t dry out while cooking. I also top with cheese (sometimes I don’t put cheese inside the tortillas, just on top) and then bake at 375 for about 30 to 40 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips or corn bread and a salad. My kids like to top this sour cream and extra salsa

Mongolian Beef

2 lbs round steak, cut into small pieces
2 T soy sauce
2 T cornstarch
4 carrots, peeled and sliced very think
1 bunch green onions, cut into 2” lengths
6 large mushrooms, sliced very thin
¼ cup olive oil, divided

Sauce
¼ c soy sauce
1 T cornstarch
1 t sugar
2 t red pepper flakes (this makes this dish quite spicy.. so reduce if you don’t like your food real spicy)
1 t salt
pepper, a few shakes
1 ½ cups water

In a medium size bowl combine meat, 2 T soy sauce and 2 T cornstarch and let sit for a few minutes.

In a small bowl combine sauce ingredients.

Heat a large frying pan and add half the olive oil.  Add meat and cook until meat is no longer pink.  Remove from pan and put in a bowl.  Add rest of oil to frying pan and add carrots.  Cook until the carrots are just tender and add onions and mushrooms.  Stir fry these until the veggies are soft.  Add the meat and heat.  When everything is hot add sauce ingredients and cook and stir until sauce is thick and bubbly.

Serve over brown rice..

Mexican Hamburger Rice Bake

 This recipe is a family favorite..It belongs to my friend Crystal she has a ton of recipes on her blog.. check it out and enjoy ..

5 to 6 cups of cooked brown rice (a great use of leftover rice)
1 lb hamburger
½ small onion
1 10oz can Rotel tomatoes
8 oz. tomato sauce
½ cup water
salt or seasoning salt to taste
1 cup or more cheddar cheese

Cook hamburger and onion in fry pan till hamburger is no longer pink and onion is soft.  Add rice, rotels, tomato sauce, water,  and seasonings and mix and simmer everything for about 5 to 10 minutes.  Put this in a 9x13 inch pan (I sprayed mine with Pam) and top with cheese.  Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes until everything is hot and bubbly.

Japanese Deli / Bento Style Hamburgers

2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. garlic Salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. onion powder

Combine all ingredients. Form into patties and fry until cooked through.
These were not firm enough to put on the grill (fell apart), but they are more than fine in a fry pan.
It says it serves 6.

Italian Beef

1 3lb beef roast
1 cup water
1 t chopped garlic, or more if you love garlic like we do
½ medium onion, sliced thin
2 t Italian seasonings
1 t salt
½ t pepper
½ t sugar
1 jar (12 to 16 oz) greek pepperoncini’s

The night before you want to serve this meal place roast and water in crockpot and set on low.  In the morning there should be lots of juices.  Using 2 forks shred beef.  Add garlic, onion, seasonings and stir well.  Now add the pepperoncini’s and as much of the juice from the jar as you would like (according to your tastes).

Let this continue to cook on low for the remainder of the day.  Serve on toasted whole wheat hamburger buns or brown rice.

Cranberry-Barbeque Meatballs

    * 2 16-ounce packages frozen cooked plain meatballs, thawed (32 meatballs each) or 32 homemade meatballs.
    * 1 16-ounce can jellied cranberry sauce
    * 1 cup barbecue sauce

directions

   1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker place meatballs. In a medium bowl combine cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce. Pour over meatballs in cooker; stir to coat.

   2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Serve meatballs with toothpicks. If desired, keep warm on low-heat setting for up to 2 hours.

   3. Makes 64 meatballs (obviously)

 Saucepan variation: In a large saucepan combine thawed meatballs and desired sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

BBQ Crockpot Meatballs

2lbs hamburger
2 slices homemade wheat bread, cubed
2 eggs
½ small onion, chopped or amount to taste
½ to 1 teaspoon Spike or seasoning salt
salt and pepper, as desired

Sauce:
1 cup barbeque sauce, homemade preferred
1 cup peach jam, or apricot will also work

To make meatballs combine hamburger, bread cubes, eggs, onion, salt, pepper and seasoning salt. Form into small balls and put in an 11x15 pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until a meatball cut in half is completely cooked through.

Prepare sauce by mixing together bbq sauce and jam.

After meatballs have cooked lift them out of the pan and place in crockpot. Pour sauce over them. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Corned Beef and Cabbage for the Crockpot

2 onions, sliced
2 t minced garlic
3 potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
1 corned beef, 3 to 4lbs
Small head of cabbage or half of a bigger one, cut into slices
1 cup water

In the bottom of a large size crockpot layer onions, garlic and potatoes.  Set corned beef on top and lay cabbage slices on to of the meat.  Pour in 1 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 11 hours.

Crock Pot Smothered Steak

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• 3 lbs beef round steak
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can beef gravy , Franco American* you can make your own*
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can water
• 1/2 onion , sliced (thinly)
• 1 (2 ounce) package onion soup mix
• 1 (8 ounce) can  mushrooms (optional)

Directions:

1. 1
   Mix gravy, soup, and water in a bowl. Place all ingredients except mushrooms in crock pot. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Add mushrooms during the last half hour. Add Kitchen Bouquet to color if gravy is too pale.
2. 2
   Serve gravy over rice or mashed potatoes.
3. 3
   Variations:
4. 4
   Use 1 can mushroom gravy in place of mushroom soup.
5. 5
   Use cream of celery soup in place of mushroom soup.