Crock Pot Mustard Pepper Pork Roast

One of my favorite ways to cook is using my crock pot. The crock pot is an excellent way to slow cook your food for more intensive flavors, tender meat and easy healthy meals. Set your slow cooker up in the morning and let it cook. You’ll find a wonderful meal all ready when you get home from work!

This pork roast recipe is so simple and it uses ingredients you already have on hand. To keep this recipe gluten free, be sure to read all product labels to ensure your dinner is actually gluten free.

Slow-Cooker Mustard Pepper Pork Roast & Vegetables <Print>

Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients
3-4 lb pork boneless pork roast
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into slices
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (not too small)
2-3 tablespoons of mustard (Dijon or whatever you have on hand)
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
2 cups water

Method
1). Spray the inside of your slow cooker pot with non-stick spray, or use a basting brush to spread 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or less—as desired) over the sides and bottom of inside of pot.

2). To the bottom of the pot add potatoes, carrots, and ½ of sliced onion. Add in water just to ½ way up vegetables.

3). Place pork roast on top of vegetables. Next pour mustard over pork roast, and use a fork or basting brush to evenly spread mustard over the roast.

4). Place rest of sliced onion over top of pork, then cover evenly with fresh cracked pepper.

5). Place in the slow-cooker and cover with lid. Set the slow cooker to cook on high for about 7-8 hours or on low for 10-12 hours.

6). Slice and serve with the veggies—you can also make a gravy or sauce from the meat juices.

Notes & Tips
You can use any mustard you have on hand, or choose your favorite mustard to flavour the roast. Spicy mustards will add a kick of flavour to your roast, while milder mustards add a mellow tangy taste.

You can use left-over pork roast in in a stir-fry , Mexican food and more!

You can also change up the veggies used in this recipe. You could try adding turnips, parsnips, and more! You can also add garlic and more to add another level of flavour.

This is a versatile base recipe you can use as is, or change it up to fit your personal preferences.

Crock Pot Hearty Beef Stew with Winter Vegetables

Stews and soups are easy on your budget and provide a hearty and flavorful meal packed with nutrients. Choose cheaper cuts of meat when cooking with your crock pot. The low temperatures and long cooking time works to make the meat tender; you won’t even need a knife to cut it!

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs. beef stew meat (top round, or beef chuck) cut into 2-inch cubes

½ cup gluten free flour (for covering beef)

5 grinds of Steakhouse Grinder (or similar—optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large Ziploc plastic bag

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or olive oil), divided

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 can diced tomatoes (including the juice)

4 cups low-sodium, gluten free beef broth

3 large carrots, peeled and sliced (as you prefer)

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces

2 large parsnips, peeled and sliced (optional)

Directions

1). Pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into crock pot, then brush oil on the sides and bottom to make sure the entire inside of the pot is covered. Or use non-stick spray to cover the entire inside of the pot. This will keep stew from sticking to the sides and bottom of the crock.

Carrots, potatoes, parsnips and tomatoes in pot. 

2). Put carrots, potatoes, parsnips and tomatoes into the crock pot, stir together. 

3). In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, pepper and Steakhouse grinder spices. Pour flour and spice mix into a large Ziploc bag, add meat and shake, till meat is thoroughly covered with flour mixture. Set aside.

Browning the meat

4). Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Sauté onions and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes; then add meat (covered with flour) and cook till browned, about 5-10 minutes. Stir meat to keep it from burning and/or sticking to the pan. Pour meat mixture into crock.

5). Put the frying pan back on the heat and fill with about ¼ cup of beef broth or water, let boil. While the broth boils, scrape the bottom of the pan to remove cooked on bits of meat and then pour this liquid into the crock.

6). Add broth and stir until everything is evenly mixed.

7). Set the crock pot to cook for 5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.

8). When stew is done, remove bay leaf and serve.

This recipe can also be made on the stove in a stock pot or Dutch oven. Follow the recipe, but put the tomatoes, juices, broth and meat mixture into the stock pot (or Dutch oven) and bring to a boil. Turn down the temperature and let simmer for about an hour (until meat is tender). Then add carrots, potatoes and parsnips and cook until vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes) more.

You can easily keep the stew in the refrigerator for about 3 days, no longer. The stew freezes well—you can keep up for up to 2 to three months.

Variations:  You can add any root vegetables you prefer to this recipe. You can also use different spices, such as Italian spices, to change the flavor.

Thanks for stopping by!
Enjoy!

Sherry
Czech Off the Beaten Path
BellaOnline Asthma Site
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Gluten Free Taco Seasoning Recipe

 Gluten Free Tacos

Photo by Sher Vacik

Planning meals on a budget is challenging by itself, but meal planning becomes tougher when you have to cook gluten free. You might consider fixing  your family’s favorite Mexican foods at home, from scratch. Mexican food can become a gluten free fiesta with simple, inexpensive ingredients.

One of the nice things about many Mexican dishes is that meat becomes a side, rather than the main part of the meal. Many Mexican recipes call for beef, chicken or pork; using the ground versions of these meats make your meat stretch farther. You can stretch the meat out even farther with the addition of simple ingredients, such as cheddar cheese, rice, lettuce, tomatoes and more. Such sides and toppings can make a Mexican dinner very healthy and low-fat, too. Mexican food adds a  nice variety to your gluten free diet with a mix of flavors and textures not found in other foods.

You can buy taco and enchilada seasoning packets at the store; however, many of these contain wheat. To save money and avoid the wheat/gluten, make your own taco seasoning at home. Here’s a simple recipe that is versatile and tastes much like the taco seasoning you find at the store.

Gluten Free Taco Seasoning Recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon paprika

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients until well blended. Store in an airtight container. This mix is about the same amount as store-bought taco seasoning packets.

This is a versatile seasoning recipe—it’s easy to increase or decrease certain spices to fit your family’s taste preferences. This recipe is also easy to make in batches, and then freeze individual portions it in ziploc bags (2-3 tablespoons/bag) ready to use the next time you want to make a Mexican dinner.

Cooking Directions

You use this taco seasoning mix in the same way as the store-bought versions.

Ingredients

1 pound ground meat (beef, pork, chicken or turkey) or chicken, sliced thinly

2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix

¾ cup water

1). Brown meat in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Drain fat.

2). Stir in 2-3 tablespoons (more or less, according to your preference) and the water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3). Spoon meat into warmed taco shells or tortillas, then serve with assorted toppings.

Suggested sides for your Mexican dinner.

Topping ideas 

Salsa

Grated cheddar cheese

Sliced lettuce

Chopped tomatoes

Sour cream

Mexican beans

Spanish rice

Jalapeños

(Note--Always be sure to read the labels on all food items and ingredients you plan to use. Manufacturers sometimes change their recipes without notice.)

You can use this seasoning to make tacos, burritos and much more. In addition, you can buy corn tortillas or taco shells, and buy regular tortillas for the gluten-eaters in your home.

That’s all for today!

Enjoy!

Sherry

Czech Off the Beaten Path
BellaOnline Asthma Site
Sher’s Kindle Bookshelf
Shervacik.com
Sher’s Stuff
Asthma’s Nothing to Wheeze At!