Slow Cooker Beef Stew Whole30 Paleo Gluten Free Food

SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW

Steps:

• For the beef In a large zip-top bag, combine flour, salt, pepper, onion powder and Italian seasoning. Add beef and shake until well coated.
• Browning the meat: (feel free to skip to step 5 and add all the ingredients to the slow cooker instead)
• In a large skillet on medium high heat, add cooking oil and brown the meat on all sides. Meat will not be cooked through. (Be sure not to crowd the skillet - you may have to work in batches). Transfer browned meat into a large 6 quart slow cooker.
• Put the uncleaned skillet back on the stove and add onions and garlic. Saute for a minute or two then add the balsamic vinegar and tomato paste until just hot enough to deglaze the pan, about 1 minute. Pour into slow cooker over the beef.
• Add the potatoes, sweet potato, carrots, celery, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, beef broth, (star anise if using) and stir to combine. If there is not enough liquid to cover the vegetables, add water - only as much as needed.
• Cook on low for 5 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours (stir about half way through), until potatoes are tender and meat is cooked through. (Times may vary depending on how hot your slow cooker runs - check and cook longer or shorter if necessary)
• Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper if necessary (discard star anise if used). Serve hot with fresh parsley.
• Optional: To thicken stew: Make a slurry by whisking 2 tablespoons of flour (all purpose, cornstarch, gluten free flour, 2 tsps arrowroot powder or 1-2 tsps xanthan gum) with 3 tablespoons of cool water. 20-30 minutes before serving, stir the slurry into the slow cooker, set to HIGH. Stew should thicken within 20-30 minutes.If it does not thicken, your slow cooker may not be hot enough so you will have to transfer to a large pot and heat on the stove if you want to thicken the stew. However, the stew will thicken up on its own overnight in the fridge even without the cornstarch slurry - the slurry is just a solution for immediate results.

SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW: WHOLE30, PALEO, GLUTEN-FREE

Steps:

• Place in all ingredients into the slow cooker, except for the peas. Stir to combine everything and cover with the lid.
• Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-7. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the frozen peas and stir to mix into the stew. If you want to add the thickener, whisk it into the slow cooker at this time. Cover with the lid and let the peas heat through.
• Add any additional salt to taste, and serve with additional chopped parsley if desired.

BEST OF ALL: SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Whisk flour, garlic salt, and black pepper together in a small bowl; pour into a large resealable plastic bag. Place stew beef in bag, seal the bag, and shake to coat beef to coat completely.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; saute coated beef in hot oil until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Stir onion into beef; saute until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour beef and onions into a slow cooker.
• Stir beef broth, red wine, and Worcestershire sauce together in a bowl. Pour broth mixture into the same skillet and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Transfer broth mixture to the slow cooker.
• Mix potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, beef stew seasoning mix, and paprika into beef mixture.
• Cook on High for 1 hour. Reduce heat to Low and cook until meat is tender, 6 to 7 hours.