Butternut Squash Beef Stew (Slow Cooker)

This is not your mom's beef stew. Or your grandmom's beef stew.

In fact, up until I tried this recipe a few years ago, I made beef stew exactly the way my mother did. It was all I'd ever known. I think we all probably do that...

You know...the standard beef, carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes...

Then I tried this recipe on a whim. Holy delicious! Who would have ever thought to put sun-dried tomatoes and butternut squash in beef stew??

This is actually a Giada De Laurentiis recipe, courtesy of the Food Network. However, her version is not gluten-free. And it is not done in the slow cooker, it's done on the stove-top in a dutch oven. If you prefer that method, you could certainly take a look at the original recipe!

For convenience, I turned this into a slow cooker recipe. Because if I can let that beautiful appliance do all the work for me, I would certainly rather.

However, keep in mind that this recipe calls for the squash and tomatoes to be added halfway into the cooking time (about 4 hours or so). If you are not going to be around to add those ingredients, you can certainly add it at the beginning. Just be prepared for the squash to be on the mushy side.

There's something about beef stew, simmering away all day, that warms the heart and tickles the senses. I adore the smell of this while it's cooking. My husband came home from work and declared, "Honey, the house smells REALLY good!" I'll take that as a compliment...

Serve this stew over rice or mashed potatoes if you wish. I serve it with chunks of warm, homemade, multi-grain gluten-free bread and a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley. If you don't have Marsala, you could certainly use Sherry - though I don't know that I would recommend any other kind of wine. You could also use fresh herbs instead of dried (just use 1 Tbsp of each, instead of 1 tsp). This recipe also doubles nicely to serve a crowd or to have plenty of leftovers.

Butternut Squash Beef Stew (Slow Cooker)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8-10 hours

Yield: 4-6 servings

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 lbs Stew Beef or Bottom Round Roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Gluten-free Flour or Cornstarch
• 1 large Onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp dried Rosemary
• 1 tsp dried Thyme
• 1 cup Marsala Wine
• 26 oz Beef Stock
• 1 lb Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes, julienned
• Chopped fresh Parsley, for serving

1. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. In a large zip-top bag, combine flour, salt, pepper and beef chunks. Shake to coat. Place half of beef in hot oil and sear on all sides until browned, a couple minutes per side. Drain or shake off excess oil and place in basin of slow-cooker; repeat with remaining beef chunks.
2. Use 1/4 cup of the beef stock or wine to deglaze the skillet. Simply add the liquid to the pan after you have removed the meat and it is still hot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits then pour the liquid into the slow-cooker basin with the meat. Don't allow the liquid to cook down at all - you're just quickly deglazing the pan because you want all that flavor!
3. Place diced onion, minced garlic, thyme, and rosemary in the slow-cooker basin with the meat. Pour in remaining beef stock and Marsala wine. Cover and set slow-cooker to low-heat for 8 -10 hours.
4. After 4-5 hours of cooking, add cubed butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes to the mixture. Stir well to combine and replace the cover. You can add it all at the beginning, but the squash will become mushy and break down if it cooks for too long.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste just before serving. Ladle into individual bowls and sprinkle with fresh, chopped parsley. Serve with your favorite crusty gluten-free bread or rolls!

*Adapted from Food Network*

Happy gluten-free cooking!

Homemade Applesauce with Sugar & Spice Compound Butter

Some foods just scream "Fall!"

Yep, we're making applesauce.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I ventured out into the beautiful crisp autumn air and drove to our favorite apple orchard. A friend had previously mentioned to me that there were no longer apples to be picked from the trees. That, however, did not phase me. I actually laughed - only people who want to eat apples fresh need to pick them off of trees! 

I go for the bags of drops they keep tucked away in cooled bins in the back of the store. Why? 

1. They're cheap
2. I'm only going to destroy them anyway, they don't need to look pretty
3. Did I mention that they're cheap?

Needless to say, we ended up with about 30 or 40 pounds of apples. Yes. That is about the same weight as a small child. What can I say? We like our applesauce in this house. I usually make enough to last all year, then bury those bags of chunky liquid gold in the bottom of the chest freezer. We usually heat it up and eat it straight out of a coffee mug. But I also use my homemade applesauce in baking recipes - it is unsweetened after all!

I actually just defrosted the final jar from last year's stash. It had been in hiding.

This recipe is so stupid-easy, you're going to kick yourself for ever buying applesauce in a jar from the grocery store. Here's a question for you... How on earth do they get jarred applesauce to be so light in color? A magical mystical feat of processing I will never understand. My applesauce is brown. My husband's grandmother - hers is red, because she leaves the skins on. I just can't get over the color, so I peel my apples. C'est la vie!

When my sister and I were kids we would make applesauce with my Aunt Carole. She had one of those old apple peelers that you clamped to the kitchen counter with a vise. We would help her peel and chop, then she would simmer those apples into oblivion on the stove-top. Afterwards, she would run it all through a food mill to get it nice and smooth. And then... Then she would make something she called "Butter Cream" to put on top. It was sweetened butter that, when placed on top of warm applesauce, would melt into creamy, sugary, blissful deliciousness.

I'm drooling just thinking about this right now.

My aunt's version took all day, and it was worth every ounce of love and energy we put into it. Mine also takes a few hours - but I let my slow cooker do the work. Who doesn't love that? I've also modified the butter cream recipe, just a tweak. 

And I promise, your house will smell divine!

Homemade Slow Cooker Applesauce

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Yields: About 3 1/2 quarts

• 7 lbs Sweet Cooking Apples (I like McIntosh for sauce - if you'd like to know more about which apples serve what purpose, here's a great guide: All About Apples)
• 2/3 cup Water
• 1/2 tsp Apple Pie Spice

1. Peel, core and chop apples. Try slicing off the top and bottom of your apples prior to peeling - it makes peeling go much faster! If you use an apple corer, just make sure to get any leftover bits of core with a paring knife before tossing those puppies into your slow cooker.
2. Places all apple pieces and water into the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker and set to "High".
3. Check after one hour. If mixture has begun to bubble or foam up around the edges, give it a good stir and lower the heat setting to "Low". If it hasn't started to bubble yet, check every 30 minutes until it has, then follow above directions.
4. Stir in apple pie spice.
5. Continue to cook on "Low" for three hours or until apples have broken down and reduced to about 1/2 of original volume; stirring occasionally.

Nutrition per 1/2 cup Serving: 54 Calories; 0g Fat; 0g Saturated Fat; 14g Carbohydrate; 1g Fiber; 0g Protein

~ Notes:

• This applesauce will be chunky! If you'd prefer a smoother sauce, feel free to run the entire mixture through a food mill after it has finished cooking and has cooled enough to handle without burning yourself.
• If you'd prefer not to peel your apples, that is entirely your decision - it should still cook down just fine, but it might need to be processed further after cooking (i.e. food mill, food processor, or blender).

Sugar & Spice Compound Butter

Yields: 1/2 cup

• 1/2 cup Light Butter
• 1/4 tsp Apple Pie Spice
• 4 tsp Brown Sugar, packed

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; beat with a mixer until creamed together and smooth.
2. Melt atop warm applesauce and enjoy thoroughly.

Nutrition per 1/2 Tbsp Serving: 29 Calories; 3g Fat; 2g Saturated Fat; 1g Carbohydrate; 0g Fiber; 0g Protein

Trust me - try this recipe...and thank me later!


Happy gluten-free cooking!

Slow-cooker Bean & Sausage Soup

Of all the things I do in the kitchen, the task I probably loathe the most is chopping onions. Perhaps I am just overly sensitive to their surprisingly coy and pungent aroma. Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised when they make me cry...every...single...time. Perhaps I just need to put some of those ridiculous onion goggles on my Christmas wish list this year.

Dear Santa:

I've been good this year. 

Please bring me a pair of onion goggles - 

they would be much appreciated.

Love,

Amanda

But in all seriousness - my temporary solution is to let them sit in the fridge for a bit before I use them. That is, if I remember of course. Take that tip and stuff it in your back pocket.

I live in upstate NY, by the way, and we are currently being inundated with flood and high wind warnings courtesy of Hurricane Sandy. 

A hurricane, in New York you say? A hurricane, but it's almost November you say? 

Funny, Mother Nature missed the memo too. Apparently the South has taken too much of a beating these last few thousand years. Global warming has taken up the ironic and much under appreciated task of rerouting all forthcoming hurricane activity toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast for the next century as a form of "payback". Guess my family had the right idea when they up and moved to Florida two years ago - since then I've dealt with Irene and now Sandy...and they've had a whole lotta nothin'.

But my prayers and thoughts are with all my friends and family who live closer to the shore in Jersey, PA, CT, RI and downstate NY.

Enough talk about the weather - let's get on to the food shall we?

This breezy, chilly Autumn day inspired me to make a few of my favorite things - including soup. I also had some pre-soaked beans and a bunch of kale from my CSA share in the fridge that seemed as though they needed a bit of purpose in life. And I love the way my slow-cooker fills the house with these amazing smells as it simmers away on my counter top. Who needs scented candles when you can cook?! This soup has a little kick to it, via the andouille. Feel free to make substitutions as you feel necessary. You could really use any kind of beans you like - however, if you are going to use canned, I recommend making this soup in a pot on your stove top instead of in the slow-cooker. Therefore you would also drastically reduce the cooking time. Canned beans have a tendency to turn into unrecognizable mush if they simmer away all day...

Slow-cooker Bean & Sausage Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Yields: 4 (generous) servings

• 8 oz. dry Pinto Beans (soaked as directed overnight)
• 4 oz. dry White Beans (soaked as directed overnight)
• 1 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 links Andouille-style Chicken Sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced - I like Bilinksi's, it's gluten-free; you could certainly use any other brand, regular Andouille sausage instead of chicken, or even hot italian style sausage if that's what you have on hand
• 2 large stalks of Celery, chopped
• 1 large Carrot, chopped
• 1/2 large Yellow Onion, chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried Thyme (or 4 sprigs of fresh)
• 32 oz. low-sodium organic Chicken Broth
• 8 oz. Water
• 4 cups Kale, trimmed of stems and chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• Kosher Salt & Pepper

1. Place beans, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and thyme in the bowl of your slow-cooker.

2. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat. Sauté sliced sausage until nicely browned, about five minutes - add to slow-cooker.

3. Pour a small amount of the chicken broth into the warmed skillet (about 1/3 cup), just enough to scrape all those beautiful browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add this, plus remaining broth, and the one cup of water to the slow-cooker. Stir all ingredients.

4. Turn the slow-cooker on to the Low setting and place the lid on top. Allow to cook until the beans are tender, about 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

5. About 20 minutes before serving, add the chopped kale and 3/4 tsp of salt to the slow-cooker; stir. Replace the lid and allow the kale to soften for 15-20 minutes.

6. Add the vinegar and stir to combine. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper as needed.


Nutrition per Serving: 199 Calories; 3g Fat; 1g Saturated Fat; 42g Carbohydrate; 23g Fiber; 23g Protein

*Recipe adapted from Real Simple

Do me a HUGE favor - serve this with a slice of your best crusty gluten-free bread. Maybe a glass of your favorite white wine. That's what I did :)

Take that Hurricane Sandy!


Happy gluten-free cooking!