Crock-Pot Cafe Rio Beef -- Spicy Beef

This is one of my most favorite dishes. You can use this beef in tacos, on a salad, burritos, chimmichangas, almost anything Mexican will work. I've even used it to make empanadas. Yummy!

For those of you familiar with Cafe Rio, this is my adaptation of their recipe:

Spicy Mexican Beef (Cafe Rio Beef)

3 lb Chuck Roast
2 cups salsa
1 cup beef broth
1 can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon cumin
3 cloves garlic
1 onion, cut into rings

1. Put the roast in the crock pot.
2. Mix salsa, broth, tomato sauce, cumin and garlic in the blender or food processor until smooth.
3. Pour mix over the beef.
4. Top with onion rings.
5. Cook for 7-8 hours on low.
6. Remove the onion and shred the meat, removing any visible fat.
7. Return to crock-pot juice and simmer for about an hour.

Serve as tacos with cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, and beans.

Beef Stroganoff

I LOVE beef stroganoff. It's not my hubby's favorite, so I often cook it when I know he's going to be eating dinner elsewhere. I usually add a little extra Worcestershire sauce to the meat when browning. This is another recipe I make once and vacuum seal the rest into a few portions for a quick lunch another day.

Beef Stroganoff

1 pound beef stew meat
½ pound mushrooms
½ onion
1 Tablespoon butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 dash garlic salt
1 dash pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup sour cream
Broccoli (optional)
4 cups egg noodles

Melt butter. Lightly brown meat, onion and mushrooms in sauce pan over low heat.

Add everything but the sour cream and egg noodles to a crock pot and simmer on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve over egg noodles.

Crock-pot Chicken Cacciatore

I usually cut the following recipe in half for my small family and we still have enough for eating dinner twice. I just vaccum seal the second half for another night.

Crock-pot Chicken Cacciatore

6 chicken breast halves (skinless, boneless)
1 jar spaghetti sauce (28 ounce)
2 green bell peppers, seeded and cubed
1 onion, finely diced
2 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP butter

Put the chicken in the slow cooker.

Top with the spaghetti sauce, green bell peppers, mushrooms, onion, and garlic.

Cover, and cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours.

Serve over angel hair pasta.

Chicken in a Pot

This one is a classic, but just in case you haven't seen it:

Chicken in a Pot

1 lb Frozen Chicken Breasts
1 packet Italian Salad Dressing mix
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 cans cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom

Put chicken breast in crock pot and sprinkle with packet of dressing.

Cook for 5-6 hours on low or until chicken is cooked through.

Take chicken out and cut into pieces. Return Chicken to the pot.

Add remaining ingredients.

Cook for another hour stirring several times throughout.

Serve over rice or pasta.

Freezes well.