Balsamic Crock Pot Roast and Summer Corn Saute

 

 

I have been taking advantage of my crock pot quite a bit lately, and recently tried out this amazing roast beef recipe found on addapinch.com.  I loved this recipe because all you have to do is throw all the ingredients into the crock pot and turn it on....it literally takes 5 minutes.  I prepared it in the morning before work, and came home to dinner already made....not to mention my house smelled amazing!  We decided to eat the roast by itself, along with a corn saute (recipe below) and pasta salad.  I think next time I might try it out on french dip sandwiches....it seems perfect for that too.

 

Balsamic Crock pot Roast







You will need:
-one 3-4 pound boneless beef roast ( I used a chuck roast-approx 3 lbs.)
-1 cup beef broth (low sodium)
-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
-1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
-1 Tbsp soy sauce
-1 Tbsp honey
-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
-4 garlic cloves, chopped
*Place roast into the crock pot.  In a small bowl mix all remaining ingredients and pour over the top of the roast. 
*Cover and cook on the lowest setting for 8-10 hours.  (the original recipe says 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low).  I like to always do the lowest setting for a longer time, it makes for a much more tender roast.
*Once roast is cooked, remove and place it into a serving dish.  Using a fork, gently break apart.  Then ladle about 1/2 cup of remaining juices over the roast. 

Now, for my new favorite side dish.  I found this recipe on recipes.com after searching for quick and easy healthy veggie side dishes.....and that's exactly what this is.  But, I could seriously eat a whole skillet of this stuff.  I made it again last night paired with grilled chicken breasts, and it was easily the best part of dinner.  The recipe below makes just enough for our family of four, but feel free to add more of each ingredients if you need it for a larger crowd.

Summer Corn Saute

You will need:

-1 to 2 Tbsp butter

-1 clove of garlic, minced

-1 small zucchini, very thinly sliced

-1 cup grape tomatoes

-1 (12oz) bag of Steamfresh super sweet corn (found in frozen veggie section), cooked according to package directions

-Note: the original recipe called for sliced fresh basil....I opted to leave this out b/c I didn't have any on hand, but feel free to add it in:)

 

*Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat.  Add garlic, zucchini, and tomatoes.  Cook, stirring occasionally until veggies start to brown, approximately 2-3 minutes.

*Stir in cooked corn and continue cooking until heated through another 2 minutes.

*Season generously with salt and pepper