Slow Cooker Pepper Steak | Crock Pot Beef

A deliciously tender slow cooker family favorite – especially when served over rice or buttered egg noodles.   I love it because it is quick to put together and depending on how recently you topped up your fresh fruit and vegetables, most ingredients will be on hand.

The one tiny down side to this recipe, browning the meat (creates dishes), is eliminated with the West Bend 84915 5-Quart Oblong-Shaped Slow Cooker with Tote - you can brown the meat and onion directly in the non-stick metal insert!  How cool is that, you don't lose any of that delicious flavor, it stays in the slow cooker.

And then when the dish is cooked, you can pack this slow cooker up (don't forget the cord) and pop it in its very own insulated tote carry bag, and take it to pot luck dinners, neighborhood barbecues, or tail gating.  Extra bonus - the slow cooker base is actually a mini griddle - great for preparing Sunday brunch on... what a great idea!


Crock Pot Beef | Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Serves 6
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours

2lbs beef sirloin cut into 2 inch strips
garlic powder to taste
3 Tbsp oil
1 cube beef bouillon
¼ C hot water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
½ C chopped onion
2 large green bell peppers cut into squares
14 oz can crushed tomatoes in juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

• Sprinkle beef with garlic power to taste.  Heat the oil in a skillet and brown the seasoned strips. Transfer to slow cooker - or not, if you have a West Bend 84915 5-Quart Oblong-Shaped Slow Cooker with Tote!
• Mix bouillon cube with hot water, stir to dissolve, then add cornstarch and stir, pour over the meat in the slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
• Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Previous Post: Curried Apple Soup | Slow Cooker Soup Recipe


More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

Curried Apple Soup | Slow Cooker Soup Recipe

In celebration of apple picking season, here is a wonderful rich and warming soup that is perfect for this time of year.

This slow cooker soup recipe is a blend of some of my favorite ingredients, apple, lemon zest and curry, topped with a generous serve of plain or lemon yogurt - it's a great way to celebrate a day of apple picking.

When making soup, I do like to cook the onions in a bit of butter first, before adding to the slow cooker.  For me it makes a difference in the finished flavor of the soup, but I tend to opt not to do it most other times.

However, if you DO prefer to brown your onions in most recipes, then this slow cooker  may be of interest, from a 'one less dirty pan' to wash perspective.  The West Bend Oblong Slow Cooker has a non-stick coating in its stainless steel liner, so it goes directly from browning the onions on the stove top, to the slow cooker base to cook, and if necessary it can go into the fridge and from there to the oven to reheat!  Versatile and practical - and it comes with a carry bag - perfect for when you want to take a hot meal out.  Click the link above or the picture to learn more!

Curried Apple Soup | Slow Cooker Soup Recipe

Serves 6
cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

2 Tbsp butter
1 onion finely chopped
2-3 tsp curry powder
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
5 cups (preferably homemade) chicken stock
zest of one lemon
1-½ lb / 700g cooking apples, peeled, cored, chopped
freshly ground salt and pepper
2/3 c plain yogurt, or sour cream

• Heat the butter and cook the onion until transparent.
• Stir in the curry powder and flour, gradually the stock, stirring vigorously to make smooth, lump-free consistency. Once that's under control, add the remaining ingredients, taste and adjust seasonings.
• Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
• Puree the soup and reheat.
• Serve by swirling the yogurt or sour cream through the soup, with a grainy bread roll on the side. Enjoy!

Previous Post: French Beef Casserole | Crock Pot Beef Stew

More great, tasty, easy slow cooker recipes and slow cooker reviews are on my website - enjoy!

French Beef Casserole | Crock Pot Beef Stew

This French inspired Crock Pot Beef Stew recipe is the perfect “prepare the night before, set it to cook before you dash out the door” recipe. Load all the ingredients into a Slow Cooker Liner Bag, pop that in the fridge overnight and in the morning the bag gets put straight into the slow cooker, set the slow cooker cooking and you are out the door.  I love recipes like these.  Marinating the meat overnight is essential to the success of this recipe and it has the added benefit of making getting dinner on in the morning before you leave the house so easy.  If you find you have a few more to feed, you can increase the meat up to 1lb before you need to adjust the other ingredients.

This is a great company is coming recipe, if you have an automatic oven that you can program to cook foil wrapped roast potatoes, then you will just need to quickly prepare the other side dishes and dinner will be ready in minutes.

Serves 4
Cook on low for 8 hours

1 cup red wine
2 Tbsp brandy
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
sprigs of rosemary and thyme
1 whole orange (unpeeled) quartered
4 small onions peeled and quartered
8 sun dried tomatoes
500g/½lb beef, cubed
1 tsp cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 tsp paprika
2 carrots, diced
1 leek finely diced
440ml/14oz can crushed tomatoes in juice
150g/5oz whole button mushrooms

• In a Slow Cooker Liner Bag, add all the ingredients. (I find it easier to put the liner bag into a container that helps it stay open and upright, I fold the top edge of the bag over the sides of the container while I fill the liner bag up. When finished adding ingredients, unfold the top edge and secure neck of bag to avoid leakage and minimize aroma transfer to other items in the fridge!)  Massage to mix ingredients.  Store in fridge overnight.  Resting or marinading the meat allows flavor to develop and be absorbed which brings a rich, full flavor to this casserole.
• In the morning, remove the bag from fridge and get the slow cooker out.  If I am putting a bag from the fridge into the slow cooker, I don't preheat the slow cooker.
• Place the slow cooker liner bag into the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
• Thirty minutes out from serving, remove the bay leaves and oranges now, taste and adjust seasonings as necessary and also check to see if you want to thicken the gravy.  (If you are going to thicken the gravy, turn slow cooker to high.)
• To thicken the gravy, put 3 tablespoons for the cooking liquid  into a heat proof jug, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and mix vigorously until smooth, pour mixture back into the slow cooker, stir to combine and replace lid. Cook for a further 20-30 minutes.

Serve with buttered pasta, roast or mashed vegetables and seasonal greens.

Previous Post: Crock Pot Pork Roast | Slow Cooker Pork  

Crock Pot Pork Roast | Slow Cooker Pork

Would you like a 6 quart slow cooker, but have been put off by their weight? Or are you more concerned they might be expensive? 

I found a light weight, yet durable stainless slow cooker, at a great price, that has some additional features that you might also think are useful.

• The stainless steel slow cooker pot, or vessel, comes off the heating/serving base and can be used directly on your stove top to brown the meat and vegetables.
• Once the meal is cooked and served, allow the vessel and lid to cool then place in the fridge or freezer. You can reheat the vessel on the base again or place in a moderate oven. (Please refer to the instructions before using in oven.)
• The reason this item is called Versatility, is due to the variety of ways it can be used. With the highly polished stainless steel cooking vessel on the base - it's a slow cooker. The heating bases doubles as a mini griddle. It's perfect for grilling a burger, eggs, toasted cheese sandwiches and more. One of the Slow Cooker Reviews I read, said she cooks soup all day in the stainless slow cooker vessel and then when she gets home, uses the already heated base to make corn fritters (or you could heat rolls, or make toasted sandwiches) to have with the soup. What a brilliant idea!
• This low maintenance, dishwasher, fridge, oven and freeze safe pot is made of stainless steel with premium non stick interior, with a 275-Watt cooker base comes with adjustable temperature control with griddle setting. To learn more about this versatile West Bend Slow Cooker follow the link.

Crock Pot Pork Roast | Slow Cooker Pork | Herb Pork Roast

This recipe is one of the West Bend Slow Cooker Recipes from the instruction manual. I use this method of inserting garlic into a roast when I roast lamb and beef too - it imparts are wonderful flavor!
Cook on low for 7-9 hours, or high for 4-5 hours

Serves  8
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Thyme
½ tsp Sage
½ tsp Ground cloves
1 tsp Grated lemon peel
4-5 Lbs Pork roast, boneless or bone-in
4 Large cloves garlic, quartered
2 Tbsp Water, optional
2 Tbsp Cornstarch, optional
In small bowl combine salt, thyme, sage, cloves and lemon peel. Rub into pork roast. Cut 16 small pockets into roast and insert garlic pieces.
Place roast in cooking pot. Cover and cook at LO (#3) for 7 to 9 hours or at HI (#5) for 4 to 5 hours. Insert meat thermometer into roast to ensure internal temperature is 170°F/77°C or higher before serving. Allow roast to stand 10-15 minutes before carving. Remove garlic pieces. Juices may be thickened for gravy, if desired. Dissolve 2 tablespoons cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water. Stir slowly into juices until thickened at HI (#5). Makes 8 servings.

Previous Post: Rump Roast with Spicy Rub | Crock Pot Rump Roast