Crock Pot Beef Tacos

I'm fairly certain the benefits of the crock pot have been loudly heralded here before. Nothings better- put your meal in a pot, add some seasoning, turn a dial, come back later and eat. Brilliant! This recipe is SO simple and it makes great tacos. Not to mention it can feed a small army. My kids are currently on a quesadilla kick, so when I made the tacos we had plenty of leftovers for quesadillas the next day.

I am never a fan of using water in the crock pot. No matter what seasonings I use, it always comes out tasting well...watery. So I used beef broth in this recipe and had great results. I'm sure you can use water and beef bullion cubes, or probably even just water to add the needed moisture. Add whatever you love to finish off your tacos, but I think these are GREAT with just cilantro, onion and some cheese. (I cannot have tacos without cheese, its against my religion.)

Give yourself a break next week and make these for dinner!

~Wendy

Crock Pot Beef Tacos

Recipe Type: Dinner

Author: Wendy

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 8 hours

Total time: 8 hours 10 mins

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients

• 1 1/2-2lb Sirloin Roast


• 2 1/2 c. beef broth


• 1 large onion, cut into 3 pieces


• 2 Tbsp cumin


• 2 Tbsp chili powder


• 1 Tbsp black pepper


• 1 Tbsp salt


• 1 Tbsp onion powder


• 1 Tbsp garlic powder

Instructions

1. Remove the roast from the refrigerator and unwrap. Let rest on the counter for 5 minutes.


2. Meanwhile mix all of the seasonings together in a small bowl. Place the onion pieces on the bottom of the crock pot.


3. Rub the seasonings into the roast, be sure to cover the entire roast.


4. Place the roast in the crock pot on top of the onions. Pour 2 cups of the beef broth into the crock pot AROUND the roast (not on top of).


5. Cook on low for 8 hours, check every few hours, add more broth if necessary.


6. Remove roast and shred the meat with two forks, put into a bowl and add the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth.


7. Serve with warm taco shells, cilantro, chopped onions, and cheese.

Notes

I used a Sirloin Roast, you could likely use any type of non-fatty beef roast.

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Taco Bean Layer Dip

Even with all of this goofy weather we've been having around here (6 inches in 24 hours?! Snow this morning?!) I've officially been in "summer mode" when it comes to recipes/cooking lately. I'm always excited to get back to recipes I haven't made in a few months when we go from summer to fall and winter to spring. When we first started discussing doing this blog last fall, I had a lot of recipes in mind that I wanted to use but many of them weren't fall/winter appropriate so I'm very excited that we're getting to begin to share a new season of recipes.

I'm kicking off my spring/summer recipes with this Taco Bean Dip. It's so easy and great to bring to summer parties. I like to serve it with tortilla chips, or Fritos, or veggies...or all three! If you have some leftover (like I did after our photo shoot), it's great to turn into a nacho platter or use as all of your toppings for tacos for dinner (thanks for that idea, Erin!)

~Leah

Taco Bean Layer Dip

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Author: Leah

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 2 cans bean dip


• 2-3 soft avocados


• 1 tsp. lemon juice


• 1 cup sliced black olives


• 1/2 cup mayo


• 1 cup sour cream


• 1 pkg. taco seasoning


• 1/2 c green onions, diced


• 1/2 c tomatoes, diced


• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Mash the avocados in a small bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Set aside.


2. Mix the mayo, sour cream, and taco seasoning in a small bowl. Set aside.


3. Layer all of the ingredients, starting with the bean dip spread on the bottom, follow with the mashed avocado, olives, sour cream/taco mixture, onions, tomatoes, and ending with the cheese in an 8x11.5 (2 inch deep) baking dish or other dish or serving platter of similar proportions.


4. Serve with chips or veggies.


5. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately.

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Cilantro Lime Pesto

I'm starting a new recipe category...Stuff I Could Eat With A Spoon. Or maybe it's a new Pinterest board? This pesto might be the first pin. It's amazing. And this coming from a girl who could really do without cilantro. I don't HATE it anymore, but stray leaves in my salsa are no bueno. And this green deliciousness is just about 75% full of the stuff. The Food Network recipe I have adapted from uses it as a pasta sauce. It sounds awesome, but I confess I have not tried it. Instead, I followed the lead of this blogger and made some of the best chicken tacos I have ever eaten. My husband and I fought over the last of it the next day and spread it on turkey sandwiches. I'm currently imaging it mixed into some Greek yogurt as a veggie dip, or in an omlet with fresh tomatoes. Oh, the possibilities!

 

Cilantro Lime Pesto

Author: Erin

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, stems excluded


• 2 1/2 T olive oil


• 2 T sliced, toasted almonds


• 3 T minced garlic


• 2 t. lime juice


• 1/2 cup shredded asiago


• 1 t. salt


• 1/4 cup chicken broth

Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients in blender for 2 minutes.


2. Serve tossed with cooked chicken for tacos (plus extra for drizzling).

Notes

Just to let you know, I decreased the amount of salt called for in the original recipe. I felt like my first go round with the full 1 1/2 t. was just way to salty. My advice is to start with the 1 t. (or even less if you are salt sensitive) and add more as needed. It's also very garlicky! If you love it like I do, this won't be a problem. :)

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