Crock Pot Pot Roast

I roast beef all the time but haven't done much pot roast. I haven't always been interested because I can usually buy a premium beef roast for the same price as a pot roast and just assumed regular roast beef would be better.  How wrong I was!  Pot roast is a completely different world, and so delicious!  Cooking it in the crock pot while I'm at work all day makes it a super easy week night dinner.  

I used a boneless beef cross rib pot roast, onions, carrots, potatoes, beef stock, tomato paste, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. 

In the morning, before work, I sprinkled the roast with a little salt and pepper... 

...and browned it in hot oil for a nice crust.

I added the onions and carrots to the bottom of the crock pot.

Then added the mini potatoes. I peeled a little strip off each potato in an unlikely burst of energy just to let the gravy soak into them a little more. Then topped them with the herbs.

Then I popped the roast on top and poured the beef stock and tomato paste over the whole thing.

I turned the crock pot to low and let it simmer all day, 8 to 10 hours until the roast was tender and the veggies cooked.  

Once it has simmered all day remove the meat from the crock pot and tent with foil. 

Remove the veggies and set in a warm oven to keep warm.  You can either thicken the gravy right in the crock pot on high heat, or strain the liquid into a small pot on the stove. Whisk in a bit of flour mixed with water and allow it to thicken for a few minutes.

Slice the pot roast and smother it in gravy to serve with veggies and potatoes.  I also added steamed green beans.

Make sure you serve it with lots of extra gravy because you'll want it all over the potatoes. The meat is tender and flavourful and takes very little effort.  The perfect meal for a cold winter night.

This is another Canadian Beef post to enter in their Eat, Write, Retreat contest. I am so excited about the chance to go to Washington DC and learn more about blogging and food photography.  Best of luck to everyone who entered!

Short & Sweet Sunday - Apple Butter Snack

In honour of Family Day weekend, this is so short and sweet it is barely even a recipe. It requires no cooking and very little effort but it makes a delicious, healthy, low-calorie snack.

While we were eating healthy I found this to be a nice snack or quick breakfast.  Take two rice cakes.

And some apple butter

This is just apples, no sugar added but it makes a yummy spread.

Spread the apple butter over the rice cakes

Then top with almond butter. You could also use peanut butter but almond butter has such a nice flavour and texture.

 It may not look pretty but it tastes surprisingly great!

Celeriac Puree

Look at this ugly fella...

Who'd believe it could turn into a silky, creamy white puree that is delicious and nutritious?

Celeriac or celery root is actually from the carrot family. It looks ugly on the outside but has a tasty white flesh that is a great substitute for potatoes.  It is also good mixed and mashed with potatoes.  

Peel the tough, knobby skin from the celeriac and chop it into cubes.

Cover with cold water and toss in a peeled garlic clove and plenty of kosher salt.

Simmer for about 25 minutes until the celeriac is tender.  Drain and remove the garlic clove, then add butter, salt, pepper and milk to the pot.

Then puree the celeriac with a hand blender. You could also use a food processor or a potato masher.  

This creamy, delicious puree is great served with hoisin glazed short ribs or as a replacement for mashed potatoes.  

Hoisin Short Ribs

This Eat, Write, Retreat contest from Canadian Beef has really inspired me to cook more beef this week!  I found some well-priced beef short ribs at the grocery store and decided to create an Asian style glaze to braise them in.  I found a stewing/braising lesson at www.beefinfo.org and used that to create my recipe.  

Hoisin sauce is a thick, sweet soy-based sauce that was the main ingredient in my braise.

Along with orange juice, soy sauce, beef stock, onions, garlic and ginger.  

I cut the short ribs into sections and browned them in a mix of olive oil and sesame oil. 

I used my beloved enameled cast iron pot to brown the ribs, giving them a nice brown crust.

I removed the ribs and added the onions, garlic and ginger to the pot.

I sauted the onions garlic and ginger until softened, then added the beef stock to deglaze the pan.

Then I added the soy sauce, orange juice and hoisin sauce, creating enough liquid to submerge the ribs.  

Add the delicious browned ribs back into the braising liquid.

Then cover the pot and place in a 350 degree oven for about 2 hours until the ribs are wonderfully tender.  

Skim the fat from the top of the braise before serving, or you can even place the pot into the refrigerator over night, then remove the fat and rewarm the ribs. 

I served the ribs over mashed celeriac, sprinkled with chopped scallions and with steamed sugar snap peas on the side.  This was an easy and delicious meal and the sauce tasted incredible.  

Greek Pasta Salad

This is a very tasty and easy salad for lunch, a side dish for a barbecue or to bring to a potluck.

I am not a great fan of raw tomatoes, bell peppers and olives, but this was to feed a group so I added in all the appropriate tastes.  I used a bottled Greek viniagrette to make things very easy, and tri-colour fusilli for a nice, bright, colourful salad.

While the pasta cooked, I chopped the bell peppers, red onion, cucumbers and feta cheese and halved the pitted kalamata olives and grape tomatoes.


I added the cooked, cooled pasta and poured the dressing over, then mixed it together and let it sit overnight for the flavours to mix together.  

Delicious, easy, hearty, and very well received at the pot luck!

Tandoori Chicken

We love the flavours of India. We eat curries often and particularly love delicious naan.  This recipe replicates tender, flavourful tandoori chicken by marinating the meat in yogurt and cooking it over a very hot grill.  I used this recipe from Serious Eats as a guide.  

Start early in the day, preparing the yogurt marinade.  6 to 8 hours in the marinade is enough, you don't want to leave it too long or the yogurt can start cooking the meat.

I removed the skin from the chicken legs (paper towels make this a simple job) and cut some slits into the meat for the marinade to penetrate.

I toasted cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne and paprika until fragrant and added them, along with raw minced ginger and garlic to the yogurt.

This will give you a yellow-ish marinade. For the deep red you'll find in Indian restaurants, you can add red food colouring.  I added a bit for a pinkish hue.

Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for about six hours.

Once the chicken is marinated, grill it over the highest heat you can manage for a nice char.

I served store-bought naan warmed in the oven...

... and some lentils

...and some lentils with curry powder and spinach.

I put some steamed broccoli on the side for a little more green.  Delicious!