slow-cooker goodness

Here's a new favorite recipe. It's perfect for Sunday nights or when you're craving some warm comfort food.

Slow-Cooker Carne Guisada (serves 8-10)
•2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast or bottom round, cut into 1-inch pieces
•coarse salt and ground pepper
•2 tablespoons vegetable oil
•1 medium white onion, diced medium
•1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced medium
•1 large jalapeno, seeded and diced small
•5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
•1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
•3/4 teaspoon chili powder
•3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
•6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
•1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
•2 bay leaves
•Flour tortillas, warmed, grated cheddar, and cilantro, for serving

•Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over high. In two batches, cook beef until browned on all sides, 5 minutes per batch (add 2 teaspoons more oil for second batch). Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
•In same skillet, cook 2 teaspoons oil, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic over medium, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, and flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly pour broth into skillet, stirring until liquid is smooth. Simmer 2 minutes, then transfer mixture to slow cooker, along with tomatoes and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high 6 hours. Serve in tortillas with cheese and cilantro.

(from Everyday Food, 11/2010)

My thoughts:
-I bought already cut up stew meat...the less I have to handle raw meat, the better.
-Everything tastes even better wrapped up in a Central Market flour tortilla. :)

battle of the banana breads

While I am far from a baker, I did try out two different banana bread recipes recently. One uses one of my obsessions: Greek yogurt. The other is fairly tradition...I assume, anyway, since I'm no baker.

Cho-nana Bread
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
½ cup natural applesauce (no sugar added)
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large overripe bananas
½ cup Chobani Plain 0% Greek Yogurt
½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional) *I would use 1/3 cup*

Grease large loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, stir together flours, baking soda, and salt.
Peel bananas. Cut each in half lengthwise and then cut each half into halves. Chop quartered bananas into 2-inch pieces. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar into a smooth paste. Add applesauce and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add eggs on at a time, and beat until incorporated.
Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, and mix well. Add chopped bananas, nuts and/or chocolate chips and Chobani.
Fold ingredients in, being careful not to break up banana chunks. Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until inserted knife comes out clean when removed from loaf.

Banana-Chocolate-Walnut Bread
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate minichips
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted and divided
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons fat-free milk

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Add sugars; beat until blended.
Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended.
Fold minichips and nuts into batter; pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

The winner (in my opinion, anyway): Cho-nana Bread! I liked the taste better, plus since I consider myself a bit of a health nut, I like the protein factor from the yogurt, plus the use of applesauce instead of oil. Happy baking!