Easy Crockpot Recipes

The weather in Austin has dipped below 80 degrees- it's time to break out the Crockpot! If you don't own one, be sure to either get one soon or put it on your Christmas list- those are the kinds of things Aunts and mother-in-laws LOVE to buy.


I wanted to share my two all-time favorite crockpot recipes that are also (pretty much) Paleo. Let me know what you think!

Mel's Favorite Chili (from The Clothes Make the Girl)

(I've never been that into chili until I made this- mmmmmm...good)

Ingredients:

the base:
2 tablespoons of your favorite fat: olive oil, coconut oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lbs. ground meat (lean beef, pork, turkey, veal, bison, or a mix)
-spices:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa * (the secret killer ingredient!)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt
-liquids:
14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes
6 oz. tomato paste
14.5 oz. can beef broth
1 bottle light beer (Shiner Lite tastes great!) or about a cup of water
1 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add onions and saute 'til soft. Add garlic and let heat 'til fragrant, about 2 minutes. DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC. Add the meat and sauté until browned and crumbled.

2. Blend all the spices in a small bowl. Add to pot and stir well, about 1 minute.

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, hot sauce, and beef broth to the pot. Stir well.

4. Crack open the beer and take a sip for luck. Poor the rest into the pot and stir well.

5. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low so the pot has a gentle simmer. SIMMER FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS. Do not skimp on the simmer. Just as rest time is the magic time when you build your strength, simmering is the magic time when the flavors meld.

Variations:
This recipe makes 6 3-protein-block servings of 1 and 1/3 cups each. 

Add additional quality fats with some chopped black olives, green olives, or avocado slices (or all three!).

Add more veggies by serving over a bed of cooked spaghetti squash, grated zucchini, or baby spinach leaves.



*** I ommited a few things because I just didn't have them. Instead of beef broth I just added some water. Don't make the mistake I made of pouring in an entire bottle of dark, strong beer- bad idea- it was kinda gross.  Just keep an eye on the pot and add a bit of water if needed.


Also, I sauteed the meat and onions then threw it along with everything else into the crockpot for 2 or 3 hours.

Kat's Thai Kurry

(this one is even better the next day when the flavors have all sat together in the fridge)

Ingredients:

1 onion chopped
3 sliced zuchinni
a few carrots

a bunch of chopped cabbage
2 c chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1/2 jar of green curry paste (in the asian section of the store)
salt, pepper

Brown 2 or 3 chicken breasts, chop them up, and set aside.
In the crockpot, combine the chicken broth, coconut milk, and curry paste and mix it with a spoon. We like really spicy food, so if you don't want it very spicy, cut back on the curry paste.
Then add the veggies, browned meat, salt, and pepper.
Set crockpot to Low for about 3 hours.
Around 2 hours in, put in some fresh basil.
Voila!