Tangy BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School and having a 19 month old has kept me busier than I could imagine.

This was one of those crockpot meals where you start salivating as soon as you open the front door. It smelled THAT good!

What's Needed:
1 C. chopped red onions (about 1/2 an onion)
1 C. low-sodium ketchup
1 C. Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce
1 C. water
2 T. vinegar
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
4 lb. lean boneless chuck roast
Kaiser Rolls, for serving.

1. Combine all ingredients except roast in slow cooker. When well mixed, add roast.
2. Cover. Cook on LOW 7-9 hours.
3. Remove roast. Cool and shred meat. Return to sauce. Heat well.
4. Serve on Kaiser rolls.

Husband's Grade: A+
PointsPlus: 7 points (per sandwich--WITH roll)

Inspired by: Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly

French Dip

Crockpot cooking again, since I was doing curriculum work in the district office this week. My crockpot cooks on the hot side, so my beef was a little overdone. If this happens, after shredding it, simply put it back in the crockpot with a little au jus and it will moisten right up again.

What's Needed:
1 boneless beef sirloin tip roast (about 3 lbs.), cut in half
1/2 C. water
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
12 cruisty rolls (5 inches)

1. Place beef in the crockpot.

2. In a small bowl, combine the water and dressing mix; pour over beef. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on LOW, or until meat is tender.

3. Remove beef and shred using two forks. Serve on beef buns with juice.

Servings: 12

Note: If you like your beef hot, add 1 can (4 oz.) diced jalapeno peppers, drained to step two.

Husband's Grade: A+
PointsPlus: 6 per sandwich (bread included)

Inspired by: Everyday Light Meals

Sauerbraten

Back to my German roots with this meal. I love Sauerbraten, but this is the first crockpot recipe I've ever found for it.

What's Needed:

4 lb. lean beef rump roast
1 C. water
1 C. vinegar
1 lemon, sliced but unpeeled
10 whole cloves
1 large onion, sliced
4 bay leaves
5 whole peppercorns
2 T. salt
2 T. sugar
12 low-fat gingersnaps, crumbled

1. Place meat in a deep glass bowl.

2. Combine water, vinegar, lemon, cloves, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, and sugar. Pour over meat. Cover and refrigerate for about 12 hours (if you do this the night before you're ready to cook it, that's perfect!) Turn meat several times while marinating.

3. Place beef in slow cooker. Pour 1 cup marinade over meat.

4. Cover. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. Remove meat.

5. Strain meat juices (I used a colander over a deep cooking pot to do this). Return juices to pot. Turn crockpot to HIGH. Stir in gingersnaps. Cover and cook on HIGH 10-14 minutes, OR until gravy thickens.

6. Allow meat to rest for 15 minutes. Slice. Pour finished sauce over meat to serve. Serves 12.

Suggestion: Serve with mashed potatoes.

Husband's Grade: A
PointsPlus: 6 points (without potatoes)

Inspired by: Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly

Boeuf a la Bourguignonne

Wow--Julia Childs I am not, but this was perfection. After Julie/Julia came out in the movie theater, I was determined to actually sit down and look at the one Julia Childs cookbook I had. I decided that I was not skilled enough as a cook to master what she had written, so I gave up. Cue my new crockpot recipe. It was easy enough to make me feel like I could accomplish a good dinner without wasting food, and impressive enough to serve to company :) I would definitely change a few things next time (like not forgetting to top the dinner with the bacon I had fried up, and using the mushrooms instead of opting to leave them out), but all and all, this was delicious.

What's Needed:
3 slices turkey bacon, corasely chopped
2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 stems fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1/4 bag frozen, cut carrots
2 C. frozen small whole onions (pearl onions)
3 T. quick-cooking tapioca, crushed
1 C. Burgundy wine
1/2 C. beef broth
1/4 C. brandy
1 T. tomato paste
Mashed potatoes

1. In a large skillet cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Reserve drippings in skillet. Cover and chill bacon until serving time.

2. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 1-inch cubes. Heat drippings over medium high heat. Cook half of the meat in drippings until browned; remove from skillet. Add remaining meat, chopped onions, and garlic to skillet. Cook until meat is brown and onions are tender. Remove from heat. Combine all meat in skillet.

3. Make a spice bag out of an 8-inch square from 100% cotton cheese cloth. Place parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and peppercorns in the center of the cloth. Bring up the corners and tied using clean 100% cotton kitchen string. Set aside.

4. In crockpot, combine carrots and whole (pearl) onions. Sprinkle with tapioca. Spoon meat mixture over that in the crockpot. Add spice bag.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together wine, broth, brandy, and tomato paste. Pour over mixture in crockpot.

6. Cover and cook on LOW for 10-12 hours or on HIGH for 5-6 hours. Remove spice bag and discard. Serve beef over mashed potatoes.

Husband's Grade: A+
PointsPlus: 9 points per serving

Inspired by: Better Homes and Gardens The Ultimate Slow Cooker Book

Dill Beef Roast

I wasn't really sure what to make of this roast when I read the recipe. My husband insisted that it sounded great. The results were fantastic!

What's Needed:
1 beef chuck roast (3-4 lbs)
1 large jar whole dill pickles, undrained

Place beef in Crockpot. Pour pickles with juice over top of beef. Cover; cook on LOW 8-10 hours.

You can then remove the beef and shred for sandwiches or cut into hunks and serve with mashed potatoes. The pickles (for me) were the best part--hot and steamy and very salty :)

Husband's Grade: A+
PointsPlus: 8

Inspired by: Crockpot: The Original Slow Cooker 3 Books in 1