Crock Pot Pleaser #3: Chinese Orange Beef

Submitted by Linda

It's always a challenge to cook dinner after a long day of work, so I have always been a fan of the crock pot. Even in the summer, when I have all day to prepare dinner, I still would rather spend my time crafting or cleaning out my cabinets (or taking a mid-day nap)! Don't you love knowing that your dinner is cooking (without you) and will be ready when you are?

I am notorious for saving recipes and never trying them, so this summer I'm looking though the stack of ripped out magazine pages and am trying the ones that I think my family will most enjoy. It's always a bonus if a crock pot recipe turns out to be a winner.

I know I'm not alone in facing the challenge of making dinner every night, and I would guess that I'm also not alone in that most people have some "random meat" in their freezer. I'm pretty careful to buy cuts of meat that I know I will have success with, but my DH (dear husband) sometimes gets excited about a deal at the grocery store and brings home meat I'm not sure how to cook. Usually I call chef Michelle, and she walks me through it. In this case the packaging said "London Broil". Well, after checking with Mr. Google, I learned that "London Broil" is not a cut of meat, but rather a recipe that is usually used with a tougher flank type steak. London Broil calls for marinating or tenderizing the meat, and what better way to tenderize a tough piece of meat than in the crock pot?

So I pulled out this recipe from Woman's Day, June 2, 2009 (no comments on how long I've saved this scrap of paper), cut up my meat, and threw it all together in the crock pot. My family loved it, and I think it even tasted better the next day as leftovers.

Part of the success of the meal can be attributed to the "Benihana Fried Rice" recipe, shown in the picture, which I will post tomorrow.

Chinese Orange Beef Recipe

From Woman's Day; June 2, 2009

Succulent chunks of beef—flavored with orange marmalade, minced garlic, fresh ginger and teriyaki sauce—are paired with sliced red pepper and snow peas for a fresh meal the whole family will love.

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 8 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 slow-cooker liner (we used Reynolds)
• 2 lb cubed beef stew meat
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (we used Kikkoman Takumi Collection)
• 1/2 cup orange marmalade
• 1 tsp each minced garlic and fresh ginger
• 1 red pepper, cut in 1/2-in.-thick strips
• 6 oz snow peas, strings removed
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Line a 3-qt or larger slow-cooker with liner. Add beef, teriyaki sauce, orange marmalade, garlic and ginger to slow-cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours until beef is tender.

2. Turn to high. Stir in pepper strips and snow peas; cover and cook on high 10 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. Top with scallions.