Beef Stew

Beef Stew
It's always good to have a classic beef stew recipe on hand. I'm not a gravy maker (thought my husband wishes I was) but that would have been the icing on the cake with this recipe. The list of ingredients is long but since it is mostly spices and seasonings it's not as daunting as it seems.

The Ingredients:
2lbs Stew Beef
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
2 Cups Beef Stock (I used bullion cubes dissolved in water)
1/2 Cup Cabernet Sauvignon
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
3 cloves Garlic (I used powdered)
2 sprigs Rosemary (I used dried)
2 Bay Leaves
2 Onions, sliced
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Honey
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
3 large Carrots, sliced
3 large Celery Stalks, chopped

The Process
1. In a dutch oven over medium heat brown the meat in the oil. Remove the meat from the pan.
2. Add onions and stir until caramelized, scrapping up any bits.
3. Deglaze with wine until almost evaporated. Return the beef to the pan.
4. Add everything but the carrots and celery. Cover and simmer for 90min.
5. Add the carrots and celery. Cover and simmer another 30min.
6. Remove the bay leaves and serve.

Cilantro Lime Pork

Cilantro Lime Pork Loin

Crock pot time! The original recipe said to marinate the meat overnight. I skipped that part and it still turned out delicious. There isn't much sauce involved and it looks thin when you put it in the crock pot but it comes out juicy in the end.

Ingredients:
2 Pork Loins
Dry Rub: 1 tsp each of black pepper, sea salt, cumin. 1 tbsp each of chili powder, cayenne.
1/4 Cup Lime Juice concentrate (or juice of 2 limes)
2 generous handfuls of Cilantro
3 cloves Garlic
1 tbsp Olive Oil

The Process.
Cover the pork loins in the dry rub. Place them in the crock pot.
In a blender puree the lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and olive oil (I used garlic powder because it's all I had). Pour the marinade over the pork loin.
Set the crock pot on low for 6 hours.

This makes plenty of meat for multiple meals. We ate it served over fried yams with sour cream and spicy salsa. The meat was slightly spicier than my kids prefer so next time I will probably cut the cayenne in half.


The Salsa
1 can diced tomatoes
lots of cilantro
olive oil
onion
jalapenos (jar, diced, fresh,.....)
Spices: garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper
2-3 drops Liquid Smoke

Blend it all up. Mmmmm. Liquid Smoke is the secret ingredient that makes it fantastic. And no, I do not have measurements for the ingredients. It's salsa, it's forgiving.