Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast with Gremolata

Ingredients
Pot roast:
1 (2 1/2-pound) boneless cross-rib chuck roast, trimmed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
3/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

Gremolata:
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation
To prepare pot roast, sprinkle roast evenly with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add roast to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Transfer roast to an electric slow cooker. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Add broth and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaves) to pan; bring to a simmer. Add broth mixture to slow cooker. Arrange carrots and potatoes around roast in slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 2 hours. Reduce heat to low; cook 4 hours. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs from slow cooker; discard. Remove roast from slow cooker; shred with 2 forks.

To prepare gremolata, combine parsley and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Serve with roast and vegetable mixture.

Yield
10 servings (serving size: 3 ounces meat, about 3/4 cup vegetable mixture, and about 1 teaspoon gremolata)

Jeanne Thiel Kelley , Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2006

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients
1 (1-pound) top round steak (1 inch thick), trimmed
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms (about 2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
1 (8-ounce) container low-fat sour cream
2 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 ounces uncooked)

Preparation
1. Cut steak diagonally across grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place steak and next 8 ingredients (though garlic) in a 3-quart electric slow cooker; stir well.

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a small bowl; gradually add broth, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add broth mixture to slow cooker; stir well. Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting, and cook 7 to 8 hours or until steak is tender. Turn slow cooker off; remove lid. Let stroganoff stand 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Serve stroganoff over noodles.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup stroganoff and 1/2 cup noodles

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2004