Simple Sesame Beef

You know the meal that you smell all day long and can't wait to try? Then when it's dinner you get really excited and hope (and pray) that it's as good as it smells? Then once on the plate you find it hard NOT to gorge yourself on the tasteful dish?

YES. YES. YES. This is that meal.

If you read this post BEFORE I hacked it, you will know when I tried it at first, something was missing. So I added what I thought was missing and BAM! Move over Emeril. Ha!

Even the children loved it! And it made... yes MADE me stuff my self to uncomfortable!

What you will need:

3 gallon sized freezer bags (one labeled Simple Sesame Beef - Cook on low 7-8 hours - Or have your 10yo do it --LOL)

2 snack sized bags (or sandwich bags will do)

1 pounds beef roast, sliced
1 onion sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)

1 cup homemade beef stock

1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Put 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour/starch into one snack bag.

Put 1/2 cup of sesame seeds (toasted preferred) into the other snack bag.

You will also need fresh or frozen broccoli. I purchased the frozen broccoli in a large package and just separated some out for the meal into a gallon sized bag. You can use already packaged frozen and just rubber-band to the meal bags.

Place beef roast strips, onions, garlic, coconut aminos, beef stock, ginger, salt and pepper into unlabeled gallon sized bag. Seal and mix well.

Place unlabeled bag into labeled one and stick the arrowroot, sesame seeds, and if you can fit the broccoli, shove it in. I couldn't because we have a five person family who loves broccoli beef and I doubled the recipe for this pic. ;)

Cooking Day:

Defrost in frig. 

Pour contents of meat bag into slow cooker and cook on low 7-8 hours.

An hour or more before you want to eat,  ladle some broth into a bowl and mix in arrowroot then add back to the crockpot. This is important because it thickens the broth and makes it gravy (as the kid said). 

Mix well then add in the defrosted broccoli just over the top of the meat. MUST BE DEFROSTED.

Alternately, you can steam the broccoli separately and still get the same results. to crock and cook uncovered until broccoli is done. 

When broccoli is done, mix well and top with sesame seeds. Optional Sriracha as a topping! 

Seriously... the first time I made this without my hack it was bland and just "okay". But this time... phenomenal. Really. Really good. 

Chipotle Cilantro Lime Chicken

Another whole bird crockpot win!

I'm seriously loving this probe and my crockpot right now. I don't know why I haven't considered using the probe on all my poultry before, but I'm a changed woman. All the birds from the pot have been juicy and delicious! It might be able to be seasoned with just plain salt and pepper and I'd think it was amazing. Though, I do love me some spices. So maybe that is going too far.

For those of you who want to know what crockpot I refer to, here is the link:
(Hamilton Beach 33967 Set 'n Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker)

Anyway, I am going to cry the day this baby goes to slow-cooker heaven.

By I digress...

Chipotle Lime Chicken. Yumm! And spicy to boot! I mean like, I needed some veggies with every bite. But I'm a weenie. My husband and kids thought it was amazing and not too hot. So it's probably a medium-hot recipe.

Here is what you will need:
Two large freezer bags. One labeled with Chipotle Cilantro Lime (cook on low 5-6 hours)

Cut 1 lime in half and place in the cavity of the chicken. Then put it in the unlabeled bag.

Now get your food processor out and add the following:

1/2 cup of lime juice (about 2-3 limes). Did you know if your microwave your limes for 20-30 seconds the limes are easier to juice? Try it.
1 bunch of cilantro
3-5 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 tablespoon of Chipotle powder,
1 table spoon of ground cumin

Whirrrrrrr this until it's paste. I added a little more olive oil then asked for, mostly because it wasn't pasty enough yet. 

Now put half the mixture in the front of the bag and half in the back next to the chicken. Then seal it tight. Like get all the air out of that bad boy. If you have  seal a meal, now would be the ULTIMATE time to use it. Once the air is out, move the pasty mixture all around the bag to cover every part of the chicken. 

Once you make sure again all the air is out, put it in the labeled bag and freeze.

Be sure to defrost a full day in the frig before you cook it. So, 24 hours. Take it out the night before or else you will have a half frozen chicken! No bueano! 

Place your chicken in your slow cooker along with any marinade left over in your bag (I scraped mine clean). Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. I would recommend closer to 6 with a probe. It will be glorious.

And the more bits you scoop from the crockpot and put onto the meat, the spicier it will be. But sooo good.

Mouth-watering Smokey Yummy-Goodness

Note: My original post is lost in space... but luckily there was a draft saved. So this isn't the whole thing, but it's close.

This recipe used to be called: BBQ Crock Pot Chicken but that title does not suit this chicken. Details below.

Oh goodness. You will not believe this recipe. So easy. So awesome. Finger licking amazing. I'm not sure I would call it BBQed anything but trust me when I tell you this chicken will be my forever go to when company is coming. So easy. So tender. So delicious. So amazing.

So serious.

I don't know why the original person called it BBQ. Maybe because it's red? Maybe because the sauce in the pot when it's done looks reminiscent of BBQ? I'm not sure, but whatever it was, I've renamed it to Mouth-watering Smokey Yummy-Goodness. Catchy right?

Also, this isn't your typical freezer meal... it's better. Because you seriously only need three things on hand. The chicken (grab some whole chickens and put them in your freezer for when you need them), the onion (you can pre-slice and freeze in pouches, but be sure to double bag to keep the stench contained;)), and the  spices (again, you can premix this. I am actually thinking about making a huge vat so that I have it on hand to add to anything I want). LOL Because it's that good. Seriously. This is my new go-to meal for company. Seriously. Delicious!

Ingredients

 1 whole chicken, giblets removed and cleaned

 1 white onion, sliced

 2 tsp smoked paprika

 1 tsp sea salt

 1 tsp onion powder

 1 tsp dried thyme

 1 tsp white pepper

 1 tsp chipotle powder

 1/2 tsp garlic powder

 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions
Line the bottom of your crock pot with the sliced onions and place the thawed chicken on top.

Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Using your hands, rub mixture over the entire chicken, inside and out and underbelly too. It actually looks like I missed a spot on the leg there... I'll do better next time.

Place the lid on your crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours or until your chicken is done.

 OR if you have one of the newer crockpots like I do (I have  Hamilton Beach 33967 Set 'n Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker), use your probe and set it to low and 160. These are the coolest things. You will NEVER overcook chicken again. You set it to 160 and stick the probe in the breast closest to the bone. And it will measure the temp of the meat every 30-60 seconds.

When it reaches your desired temp, the crockpot turns itself off and goes to warm so that it does't overcook your chicken! It's brilliant!

And after a quick look at Amazon, they are on sale this week! 

The result will be this mouth watering chicken that your family will come back asking for more! It's seriously soo good.