Recipe for November

Today the knowledge I bestow upon you is a recipe I made a few weeks ago. Someone in my office asked if I had made anything new lately and I quickly relayed this wonderful recipe. Cooking with a crockpot (slow cooker) has to be one of the easiest ways to cook if you have the time to wait for your food. If you don't, then you definitely need to find the time. The best way to use your crockpot is to start it before you go to work and it will be there, waiting for you, when you get home. If you don't have time to prep in the morning, then try starting your crockpot before you go to bed. You should have lots of time to prep after dinner and before bedtime. When you wake up, your food will be ready for you to pack your lunch.

Chinese Pepper Steak

1-1 1/2 lbs boneless beef round steak
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbls. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tomato, seeded, peeled & diced
2 red or green bell peppers, cut into strips
3 Tbls. cornstarch
3 Tbls. water
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
4 green onions, finely chopped
Cooked Rice

Trim any fat from the steak, then slice into thin strips. Add to slow cooker. Then add garlic, salt, pepper, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sugar to slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours, then switch to high. Then add the diced tomatoes and sliced peppers.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water and stir until smooth, then add to crock pot. Continue cooking covered in high for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Add bean sprouts and onion, then serve immediately. Great over rice or chinese noodles!