Slow Cooker Meatloaf

Slow cooker meatloaf, sounds like a match made in heaven right?  This recipe calls for you to cook the loaf in the slow cooker for 5 hours on low.  Cooking anything that long will result in a very moist and tender piece of meat.  We served this with cider glazed carrots from Wegman's and 'my heaven'. 

The shiitake mushrooms in this are great.  As other reviewers noted, they add this earthiness to the meatloaf that makes it tasty.  Having said that, the rest of the recipe gets a big fat 'meh'.  The 'sauce' only coats the top layer of meatloaf, meaning that you only taste the sauce in every fourth bite.  The sauce itself is quite tangy, so I would suggest doubling it and stirring half into the meatloaf itself.

Would I make it again? nah.  I'll stick to our favorite, Italian Style Meatloaf instead. 

As of today's post 11 people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5. 

So, give it a shot and let me know if you agree. If you really want to make meatloaf that's worth your while though, go with the Italian Style. I can't believe I haven't even blogged about that recipe yet. It is one of the best ones we have.



Recipe by Jess Cool, Cooking Light, October 2003

• YIELD: 6 servings (serving size: 4 ounces)

Ingredients

• 2 (1-ounce) slices whole wheat bread
• 3/4 pound ground round
• 3/4 pound ground turkey
• 1 1/2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 cup grated fresh onion
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Preparation

• Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until crumbs measure 1 1/3 cups. Combine the crumbs, beef, and next 7 ingredients (beef through garlic) in a large bowl, and shape meat mixture into a 9 x 6-inch loaf. Place loaf in an electric slow cooker.
• Combine ketchup, mustard, and pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a fork. Spread ketchup mixture evenly over top of loaf. Cover with lid; cook on LOW for 5 hours.

Nutritional Information

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• Amount per serving
• Calories: 265
• Calories from fat: 43%
• Fat: 12.7g
• Saturated fat: 4.2g
• Monounsaturated fat: 5.1g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.7g
• Protein: 25.2g
• Carbohydrate: 12.7g
• Fiber: 1.9g
• Cholesterol: 152mg
• Iron: 3mg
• Sodium: 545mg
• Calcium: 41mg

---

Beef Daube Provencal

This is going to be part 1 of 2 in the delicious tender beefy stew recipes.  I received this recipe as a recommendation from one of my best friends. She said that she and her boyfriend make it and it's delicious. Slow roasting beef and 12, yes TWELVE garlic cloves sounded right up our alley.  This also gave us an opportunity to use one of our favorite kitchen tools, the dutch oven. 

Have I told you lately that I love you (dutch oven)?  Dutch ovens are the best. You can brown beef in them and then add liquid to make soups and stews.  Did I mention they are also oven safe?!  The dutch oven has changed my life, and not only because I get to make the soft pretzels I was super in love with (seen here). 

I will say that the portion sizes for this particular recipe were a bit small. We served this to guests for dinner and we barely made 6 servings. Luckily we threw together a salad to make this a more substantial meal.  Several reviewers said they used a hearty bread instead of egg noodles, so I went with the bread this time. My friend made horseradish mashed potatoes which sounded super tasty but I wasn't sure if the crowd we had would have been down with horseradish. Either you love it or hate it. But mashed potatoes (or as I call them mashy p's) would definitely be a good way to go. 

I used Wegman's Rosemary and sea salt loaf.  It was a great compliment to this stew.  We used Yellow Tail Shiraz/Cabernet blend.

We originally were planning to make this in our slow cooker but didn't think it would fit. In the end, I think we could have done it. I might brown the beef first just to get some of that same flavor.

As of today's post, 39 people rated it a 4 out of 5.  Come on people, 12 garlic cloves, that's all I have to say....

Recipe by Lia Mack Huber, Cooking Light, September 2007

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup stew and 1/2 cup noodles)

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 12  garlic cloves, crushed
• 1  (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  salt, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1  cup  red wine
• 2  cups  chopped carrot
• 1 1/2  cups  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  less-sodium beef broth
• 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1  bay leaf
• 3  cups  hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)
• Chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°.
Heat olive oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf) to pan; bring to a boil.
Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles. Garnish with chopped fresh thyme, if desired.
Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours.
Wine note: This satisfying beef stew deserves a rich, earthy, and soulful wine--one with a soft, thick texture. I love the complexity and juiciness of the Kuleto Estate Syrah 2004 from Napa Valley, California ($45), which elevates this stew into a princely dinner. --Karen MacNeil

Nutritional Information

Calories: 367 (31% from fat)

Fat: 12.8g (sat 4.3g,mono 5.8g,poly 0.9g)

Protein: 29.1g

Carbohydrate: 33.4g

Fiber: 3.9g

Cholesterol: 105mg

Iron: 4.3mg

Sodium: 776mg

Calcium: 76mg

Italian Beef Sandwiches

I have been to Chicago, land of the deep dish, but never ate their other claim to fame, the Italian Beef Sandwich.  Man vs. Food happened to do a show in Chi town where Adam Richmond spoke of the Italian Beef Sandwich. I was a little wary at first--what the hell is Giardiniera?! looks like cauliflower and carrots, wtf?!  Not to mention the fact that I had NO idea where to find it in the grocery so the first time we made these I skipped it.  In the end it is DELICIOUS.  Not as tasty as another beef sandwich claimed by a different mid-West wintry town (aka Beef on Weck in my hometown of Buffalo), but it is still good.    Plus it utilizes our favorite tool--the SLOW COOKER!

This time I forgot to marinate the meat the night before, so I threw in about 5 extra garlic cloves and added more spices.  This time I also found the Giardiniera--it's near the pickles.  I liked it, the optional topping gave the sandwich texture and tang.  It's so easy to throw together, you could definitely have this as a weeknight meal.

As of today's post, a lowly 4 people gave this a 3 out of 5.

Recipe by Cooking Light, October 2009

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich and about 1/3 cup cooking liquid)

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon  dried Italian seasoning
• 1  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 1  (2 1/2-pound) rump roast, trimmed
• 1  (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1  cup  coarsely chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium)
• 8  (2-ounce) Italian rolls
• Giardiniera (pickled vegetables), chopped (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large zip-top bag, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Place beef and marinade in an electric slow cooker; cook on LOW 8 hours or until beef is tender. Place beef on a cutting board (reserve cooking liquid); let stand 10 minutes. Thinly slice beef; place in a shallow dish. Pour cooking liquid over beef.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Slice rolls lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Hollow out top and bottom halves of rolls, leaving a 3/4-inch-thick shell; reserve the torn bread for another use. Arrange about 3 ounces beef and 2 tablespoons bell peppers on each roll. Drizzle 1 tablespoon cooking liquid over beef and peppers; top with giardiniera, if desired. Serve with remaining 2 1/2 cups cooking liquid for dipping.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 386

Fat: 11.3g (sat 3.4g,mono 4.8g,poly 1.2g)

Protein: 39.4g

Carbohydrate: 29.2g

Fiber: 1.8g

Cholesterol: 102mg

Iron: 5.4mg

Sodium: 479mg

Calcium: 52mg

Cincinnati Turkey Chili

Winter time = slow cooker time!! Nothin' like a homemade chili in the slow cooker to get you through that work day.  This recipe calls for spaghetti but we don't use it. I'm pretty sure this is tasty enough without adding a filler like spaghetti.  If I am going to eat pasta, you better believe I'm having alfredo or something that will make it worth eating those carbs!  This recipe is fantastic enough with out the spaghetti, so in my opinion, you should skip it.

The thing I love most about chili is beans!  We had double the ingredients for everything but the beans. Luckily, since I love beans, I had a can of cannelini beans in the pantry.  It got the job done.   We also made the cornbread with the original recipe, which is included below.

As of today's post, 32 people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5.

Recipe by Cooking Light, September 2009

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 34 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup spaghetti, 1 1/2 cups chili, 2 tablespoons onion, and 3 tablespoons cheese)

Ingredients

• 4  ounces  uncooked spaghetti
• Cooking spray
• 8  ounces  lean ground turkey
• 1 1/2  cups  prechopped onion, divided
• 1  cup  chopped green bell pepper
• 1  tablespoon  bottled minced garlic
• 1  tablespoon  chili powder
• 2  tablespoons  tomato paste
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground allspice
• 1/2  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 1/2  tablespoons  chopped semisweet chocolate
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.
2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add turkey; cook 3 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add 1 cup onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder and next 5 ingredients (through allspice); cook 1 minute. Add broth, beans, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate and salt. Serve chili over spaghetti; top with remaining 1/2 cup onion and cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 408

Fat: 13.8g (sat 6.6g,mono 4.3g,poly 1.7g)

Protein: 24.5g

Carbohydrate: 47.4g

Fiber: 7.9g

Cholesterol: 67mg

Iron: 3.7mg

Sodium: 765mg

Calcium: 237mg

Beer-braised Beef

I love a good slow cooker meal.  I was searching for a recipe that would use the top round beef I bought on sale a few months ago.  Enter: beer-braised beef.  This recipe calls for light beer, I think we used miller lite.  I honestly think that it would be better with a darker beer, more like a lager for more flavor. 

This was OK. We ate it the first night begrudgingly and then added so much hot sauce the second night that you could really only taste hot sauce.  It just didn't have enough of a flavor punch for us.  Instead of serving this over potatoes, as suggested in the recipe, we served it over brown rice.  It just seemed to make better sense (and other reviewers seem to agree).  It is a very easy recipe though and just because we didn't like it doesn't mean that you won't. 

Recipe by Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast, Oxmoor House, April 2009

Prep Time: 4 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours, 7 minutes
Stand: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1  cup  refrigerated prechopped onion
• Cooking spray
• 1  pound  boneless top round steak, trimmed
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
• 1/2  cup  light beer
• 2  tablespoons  molasses
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt

Preparation

1. Place onion in a 3- to 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker coated with cooking spray.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Place steak over onion in cooker; pour tomatoes and beer over steak. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until steak is very tender.
3. Shred steak with 2 forks in slow cooker; stir in molasses and salt. Let steak stand 10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 265 (28% from fat)

Fat: 8g (sat 3.1g,mono 3.4g,poly 0.3g)

Protein: 25.5g

Carbohydrate: 20.4g

Fiber: 1.5g

Cholesterol: 64mg

Iron: 3.7mg

Sodium: 514mg

Calcium: 64mg

Thyme-Scented White Bean Cassoulet

Ever since I bought my cooking light cookbook, this is one recipe I've wanted to make. I love white beans and thyme, so I thought the flavors in this would be good. I was right! I served this one night while we were watching hockey and had another friend over (note: a GUY) and the two of them ate this right up! The hubs even said, 'what is this white thing in here?' (they were the parsnips).  He loved them! Oh an neither of them really cared that it was vegetarian sausage!  I would say if you are a carnivore, this would be even better with real sausage. I could definitely tell that it was veggie sausage.  But in our efforts to strive for good health, eating meatless dishes every other week are good for ya.

All of the chunky vegetables and beans make this a hearty, heart-warming dish.  And since it makes use of your slow cooker, comes together so easily!  I sauteed the veggies in the morning, threw it all in the slow cooker and set it on high. 

I am disappointed that mine looks like sludge and not at all like the picture on myrecipes.com. However I will say that the recipe posted on myrecipes is different from the one in my cookbook.

Make it easy on yourself and just do it.

As of today's post, 9 people gave this an average rating of four out of five.

Recipe by Robin Robertson, Cooking Light, October 2004

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1 1/2  cups  chopped onion
• 1 1/2  cups  (1/2-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut carrot
• 1  cup  (1/2-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut parsnip
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 3  cups  cooked Great Northern beans
• 3/4  cup  vegetable broth
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1  (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1  bay leaf
• 1/4  cup  dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 2  tablespoons  butter, melted
• 2  links meatless Italian sausage (such as Boca), thawed and chopped
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, parsnip, and garlic; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender.
Place in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Add beans and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaf). Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, and butter in a small bowl; toss with a fork until moist. Stir breadcrumb mixture and sausage into bean mixture; sprinkle with parsley.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 314 (29% from fat)

Fat: 10.2g (sat 3.7g,mono 3.7g,poly 1.7g)

Protein: 16.4g

Carbohydrate: 41.9g

Fiber: 11.6g

Cholesterol: 13mg

Iron: 3.6mg

Sodium: 777mg

Calcium: 177mg