Crockpot Carne Guisada

I keep forgetting how awesome slow cooker meals are.  You do a little prep the night before, toss it together in the morning, and when you get home at night, it's dinner time!  Luckily my mom chose a Crockpot meal for last Wednesday's meal, and was very helpful to getting it going as well.  Together we made this Crockpot carne guisada, which is basically a Latin beef stew.  It's flavored with things like cilantro, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, adobo, and even some beer.  As a bonus, it's even from Skinny Taste, so it's healthy!

The night before, I browned the meat (not enjoyable but I took one for the team) and sautéed the veggies.  Then my mother took over the rest, and the next morning she put the meat and vegetables into the Crockpot and added the potatoes and spices.  It takes 6 to 8 hours, so it was great to have her home to time it perfectly.  That night, we went to Wachusett High School to watch Mark play with other teachers against the Harlem Wizards; we knew it would be a crazy busy evening, so it was the perfect night for a ready-to-go dinner.  We just put on a pot of brown rice and spooned the carne guisada over the top.

This meal was a big hit with the carnivores - Nick especially.  My mom kept getting stuck on the fact that I called it a Latin beef stew; to be honest, it has far less broth than a traditional stew.  That seemed to make her upset, so I told her to just think of it as carne guisada then, but I am not sure that she could get over it.  I recommend telling your family it is a Latin beef dish - no mention of the word stew - and all will be well, because this is a very flavorful, healthy meal!

Recipe:

Crockpot carne guisada
from Skinny Taste
serves 5

Servings: 5 • Size: 1 scant cup • Old Points: 5 • Weight Watcher Points+: 6 pt 
Calories: 263 • Fat: 7 g • Carb: 17 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 32 g • Sugar: 1 gSodium: 276 mg (without salt)  • Cholest: 53 mg 

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup scallions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, minced
1 1/2 lb choice round beef stew, cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/3 cup light beer
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dry adobo seasoning (or seasoned salt)
1/2 tsp ground achiote (or Badia Sazon, or paprika)
1 dried bay leaf
kosher salt to taste
10 oz baby red potatoes, halved or quartered

Instructions:

1) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil, scallions and garlic and sauté about 2 - 3 minutes; add tomatoes, cilantro and a pinch of salt. Cook another 2 minutes, then place in the slow cooker. Wipe the skillet, add remaining oil and increase the heat to medium high. Add the beef and brown on all side, about 4 minutes. Season with salt to taste and sprinkle flour over the meat, cook 1 minute turning often, then add to the slow cooker.

2) Add beer, water, cumin, adobo, achiote, bay leaf and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Add potatoes and cover, cook on low heat 6 to 8 hours or until beef is tender and the potatoes are cooked through.