Sometimes having the oven on in the summer is the last thing I want to do. It’s hot. It’s humid. It’s gross. Why bring more heat in the kitchen? For some reason, I think of slow cooker meals being a winter thing, but it’s a really good way to keep your kitchen cool through the hot summer days. This beef is literally one of the easiest meat entrée recipes I’ve ever done. You brown the beef, place it in the pot with the other ingredients, and come home after work to a delicious, juicy, tender meat with savory garlic flavor. Pair it with potatoes (sweet potatoes if you’re going Paleo!) and you’ve got yourself a one-pot-wonder!

You can also reduce the juices it cooks in to make an irresistible gravy.

Easy Slow Cooker Beef
Prep. Time: 15 min. Cook Time: 8 hours
Inspired By: Delicious Obsessions

Ingredients:

2 lb. beef chuck roast (beef shoulder)
16 garlic cloves, smashed
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
1 cups beef broth
*1 beer (we used Blue Moon)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 bay leaves

*optional

Preparation:

Heat oil over medium high heat. Cover beef in salt and pepper on all sides. Sear the beef for about 1 minute on each side, or until brown. Place beef in the crock pot. Add all other ingredients to the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. When finished, discard bay leaves and place beef on a cutting board. Shred beef using a fork and knife.

Transfer the juice from the crock pot in another pot or dutch oven over high heat. Boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until gravy thickens. Add the shredded beef to the gravy and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Serves 12

My husband is a really good cook. This might blow your mind, but he doesn’t write this blog. However, a majority of these recipes come from his genius mind. One of the things I love about Neil is his vision and ability to execute specific tasks in a unique and beautiful way. For example: tacos. I think, “Great, taco night. Let’s set up a bar of our favorite ingredients and go to town.” Neil, on the other hand, makes THESE. Even if you just make the sauce, it will launch your everyday tacos into orbit. It’s super spicy, so if you can’t handle the heat, just look at the pictures and skip this recipe. If you’re ready for a kick, keep reading.

We found the dried chili peppers at Whole Foods hanging up in the produce section by other dried spices. You can use a variety of peppers, but this time we tried chipotle and ancho peppers and it was a good combo.

Instead of flour, try white corn tortillas.

Heat them in a small skillet then wrap them in foil to keep them warm at the table.

I love the radishes in this recipe. The crunch is irresistible, and the zingy flavor pairs well with the spicy sauce.

Even though the ingredient list for this one is lengthy, it won’t take you too long to make these. Trust me, it’s worth the extra ingredients to make these gluten free wonders. Once you’ve had these tacos, you won’t go back to the ordinary.

Spicy Black Bean and Radish Tacos

Prep Time: 20 min. Cook Time: 25 min.

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

1 dried ancho pepper

2 dried chipotle peppers

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cilantro stems, chopped

1/2 orange, juiced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake

1 teaspoon olive oil

For the tacos:

5 radishes, thinly sliced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 red pepper, sliced

1/2 white onion, sliced

1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 pinch red pepper flake

1 pinch chili powder

1 clove garlic, minced

8 small white corn tortillas

Preparation:

Heat four cups of water in a kettle. In a small bowl, pour water over the peppers to rehydrate. After 30 minutes, bring hydrated peppers to a cutting board, but reserve the water. On a cutting board, remove pepper stems, and scrape out seeds. Slice peppers and place in a small food processor.

Add 1/4 cup of the water with the white vinegar, oil, and orange juice and blend in food processor. Scrape sides and add garlic, cilantro stems, salt, pepper, chili powder, and red pepper flake. Continue to blend until smooth. Add more water until it reaches desired consistency. Set sauce aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté red peppers and onion slices for about a minute. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Turn heat to low and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Add the black beans to the pan, along with the red pepper flake and chili powder. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and 1/4 cup water from the peppers and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Bring a separate small skillet to high heat. Add one white corn tortilla shell, and cook for 2 minutes per side until warm and spots are beginning to brown. Or, place on a cookie sheet under the broiler until lightly charred. Place shells in a foil pocket to keep warm at the table.

Serve tortilla shells with fresh cilantro, radishes, black bean mixture, and spicy sauce.

Makes 8 tacos

I feel as if we’ve awoken from a long, dark, cold, winter coma. With its beautiful warm weather, May has burst on the scene, and although it won’t be long before we start complaining about the humidity, the city has sprung back to life. Yesterday, Neil and I went on an hour long walk around the neighborhood just because it felt so good to be outside in the sunshine. Today, we enjoyed running errands with the sunroof back and sat out on the patio for happy hour. We’re savoring this beautiful time of year as best we can.

This is a fresh and healthy recipe to accompany the springtime weather. When it comes to these lettuce wraps, it’s all about the crunch and the sauce. I couldn’t think of a better name other than “amazing peanut sauce,” because that’s exactly what it is. I would dunk just about anything in this stuff. It’s amazing.

The best way to make this meal work is to set up a bar for your family on the counter or at the table with a variety of veggies, proteins, and sauces. Your family can personalize each wrap to their own tastes. On one platter, serve the baked chicken. On another, serve an assortment of vegetables cut allumette (which is fancy for thick matchstick). Be sure to place small bowls of the amazing peanut sauce, soy sauce, thai chili sauce, and any other dippers on the bar as well. Lay out individual romaine leaves with the white bottoms cut off. Once everything is in place, you can assemble the wraps.

Assemble, wrap, dunk, eat, repeat.

Lettuce Wraps with Amazing Peanut Sauce

Prep Time: 45 min. Cook Time: 0 min.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. chicken tenders

1 red pepper, allumette

1 cucumber, allumette

2 carrots, allumette

8 romaine leaves

Optional dunking sauces:

Soy sauce

Thai chili sauce

Amazing peanut sauce (recipe below)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a sheet pan with olive oil. Sprinkle chicken tenders with salt and pepper and place on sheet pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Cool and chop into 1″ pieces.

Allumette a variety of your favorite vegetables. Place chicken pieces and an assortment of veggies in each romaine leaf. Dunk in the amazing peanut sauce.

Amazing Peanut Sauce

Prep Time: 5 min. Cook Time: 0 min.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake

1 lime, juiced

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

5 tablespoons hot water

Preparation:

In a small food processor, blend first five ingredients. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached (I like 5 tablespoons). For a thinner consistency, add more hot water 1 tablespoon at a time. Blend until smooth.