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

Friday, March 8, 2013

Jan's Cola Pot Roast and Tess' Cola Spiced Peach and Rosemary Ham. Two Crock Dinners. One post.


I'm a sucker for a great Pot Roast recipe. Twice a month as a kid I remember us having a nice Sunday roast. The smell of that luxurious meat simmering in a crock-pot when we arrived home from the 3 hour Sunday church services we attended was like walking in the gates of heaven. It was always a welcomed almost intoxicating event.  There is not a smell on earth that makes me more homesick, or more comforted. That being said, when my friend Jan D'Atri shared her latest recipe that will post tomorrow in the Scottsdale Republic here in Arizona, I was excited. My mom used to use a can of Dr. Pepper with our roast and Jan's Recipe with the addition of a can of cola sounded just too close to my childhood comfort food to pass up!  I thought I'd share her recipe with you today as well as another favorite at our house for your upcoming Easter events! 


Recipe and photo courtesy of Jan D'Atri, Rescued Recipes


Jan D'Atri's Braised Pot Roast in Cola
 Ingredients:
4-5 pound boneless chuck roast or rump roast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large sweet yellow onion, diced and sautéed
2 tablespoons FRESH garlic, minced
3 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
2 cups beef broth
1 (12 oz) can cola (I used Blue Sky All Natural Soda)
2 tablespoons organic tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour

Directions:
Season the roast on all sides by sprinkling 2 teaspoons of salt and 2 teaspoons pepper over the entire roast. Sautee diced onion in a little oil until golden brown and set aside. Heat a Dutch oven on high heat and add oil. When oil is hot,  place roast in pot and cook until browned on all sides.  Add beef broth, cola, garlic, sautéed onion, rosemary and remaining teaspoon of salt. Bring to boil, stirring to release browned bits.  Add tomato paste and stir.  For crock-pot cooking method, transfer meat and juices to crock-pot and cook on high for about 4-5 hours (or until fork tender) or cook overnight in crock-pot on low heat. For oven method, cover Dutch oven and cook at 325 degrees in the oven for 3 1/2 hours. Liquid should be at least 1/3 of the way up the roast. Add more beef broth if necessary.
To make gravy: Remove roast from pot and keep warm. Pour beef liquid through a strainer to catch onion bits, mash through and then discard remaining onions. In a bowl, add 1/2-cup hot beef liquid to  2 tablespoons of flour. Whisk to combine eliminating lumps.  Slowly whisk mixture into the remaining liquid on the pot. Whisk frequently until mixture comes to a boil. Cook for another 5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Serve roast with hot gravy.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Healthy Carrot Cake cooked in a Slow Cooker


It's Cooking with Food Storage Monday!

When I was at the radio station on Saturday, I got to try some of my friend Jan D'Atri's Crock-Pot Carrot Cake.
Photo courtesy of Jan D'Atri.com 

It was remarkable and moist and just a really cool way to cook a carrot cake. I especially loved the concept of being able to bake a cake anywhere with a crock pot instead of having to have an oven! This opens up a lot of capabilities for catering and off-site cooking! For more information, read  more about Jan's cake here.

 Jan issued the challenge on the radio show to me to make a healthy variation of the cake, and I'm going to share that with you here today. Anyone who knows of my affection for  carrot cake and carrot cake pancakes will understand my logic in wanting to make this new recipe from Jan into something I can eat without feeling guilty. The weight-loss challenge is ever in my mind and I'm not about to give up. By the way, it isn't just to "look good", obtaining a healthy weight is just a remarkable step toward long-lasting good health. 

To make it a healthier version this is what I did:
  •  I replaced  small portion of the oil with organic coconut oil to add succulence.
  • I used cholesterol free eggs in the form of powdered egg white for heart health.
  • I used organic non-gmo whole grain Kamut ® flour, and because it is whole grain I needed a lot less flour for a rich cake. By adding this, and knowing that it is a higher protein flour I normally use for bread, I did keep the mixing to a minimum. Over-mixing this batter can make it tough. Thus the addition of the coconut oil as well, it will aid in keeping the cake tender. The Wheat flour glycemic load is a low 44! That's great for keeping things regulated!


Chef Tess' Healthy Carrot Cake in a Slow Cooker
yield 8 servings
1 cup dehydrated refried bean flakes
1 cup hot water water
1/2 cup organic coconut oil
1 cup natural granular erythritol or sugar-free alternative
2T powdered egg white
1 cup Kamut ® flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp Chef Tess Wise Woman of the East Cinnamon and Spice blend
2 cups grated carrot ( nutritional facts on carrots)
2 tsp pure natural Madagascar vanilla-bean paste or Princess cake and cookie emulsion

Combine bean flakes with hot water. Hydrate 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well, but being careful not to over-mix. About 50 turns. 

 Place in greased 6 quart crock pot.  I have a Nesco Electric-Programmable pressure cooker  that has a "slow cooker" setting. The good thing about that, is that it replaced my crock-pot, pressure cooker and electric pot.  I use it twice a week or more!  Now...with cake!  Cover and cook on high 2 1/2-3 hours, leaving covered the full time.Take care and watch carefully since every crock-pot has a different temperatures and it can burn around the edges. It is possible to be done in 2 hours instead of 3. 
 Mine was done in 2 hours flat.   Allow the cake to cool 20 minutes in the pan. 
 Remove cake with spatula or invert it onto a serving tray. If you greased you crock correctly, it will come out just fine. I love that my cooker has a metal removable insert so it is actually as close to a cake pan as I could have ever asked to have! Cool completely.

 Serve with fresh whip cream or fruit if desired. 
Nutritional information without cream:
serving size, 1 slice. Serving per recipe, 8. 
per slice: 218 calories, 14 g fat, 19 carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 5 g protein (14 net carbohydrate)

There you go!
Always My Very Best, 
Your Friend Chef Tess