Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Slow Cooker Carne Asada Tacos with Chipotle Aioli Sauce

 
I finally got inspired again to add a recipe and decided to start with one of our favorites! This is one of my husbands most requested meals, and my kids love it too. I rely heavily on my slow cooker these days, especially when after school activities keep us out later than usual.  It's so nice to come home to a meal already prepared and not worry about having to come up with something last minute.  That said, I like my slow cooker recipes super simple...like the kind you can just dump everything in and push the button.  This recipe is one of those, it takes very little time to prep, and you can prepare the aioli sauce at anytime while the meat is cooking.  I highly recommend the aioli sauce.....it is excellent!  It has a little kick, but not too spicy.  Our toppings of choice for these tacos are shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, and sliced avocados. 
 
Note:  I am super lazy when it comes to prep work.  I found myself sometimes not wanting to make this recipe because you have to slice the meat first before putting it in the slow cooker.  Lazy, right?  I knew I would be making these this past Monday, so on Sunday I decided I would try to get some meal prep done for the week and I would go ahead and slice the meat so I could have it all done Monday morning.  My wonderful husband offered to slice the steak while I was working on something else.  I walked by a few minutes later and saw him cutting the steak into strips with a pair of kitchen shears.  It took him about 30 seconds.  Ummm, he's a genius!  But did I tell him that?  Nope.  Just walked on by and racked my brain as to why I haven't thought of that before now.  So my recommendation is to cut the steak with kitchen shears.  It takes this recipe to a whole new level of easiness.
 
Slow Cooker Carne Asada Tacos with Chipotle Aioli Sauce
recipe found on Six Sisters Stuff
 
You will need:
-2 lbs. flank steak, or London broil, thinly sliced (I usually used a flank steak)
-1 cup salsa (I used mild PACE)
-1 can rotel (I used mild)
-1 tsp cumin
-1 tsp chili powder
-flour or corn tortillas
-taco toppings (tomatoes, avocados, shredded lettuce, cheese, avocados, etc.)
 
for the chipotle aioli sauce:
-6 Tbsp mayonnaise
-2 tsp chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (you can find a small can of these on the Mexican food isle next to chopped green chiles, etc.)  I usually use a little bit of the sauce from the can as well
-2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
-1 tsp minced garlic
-1/2 tsp cumin
-4 tsp fresh lime juice
-salt and pepper to taste
 
*Spray slow cooker with cooking spray (or better yet, use a slow cooker liner).  Place sliced steak in the slow cooker and add salsa, rotel, cumin, and chili powder on top.  Stir until thoroughly mixed together and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
 
for the aioli sauce:
*Combine all ingredients in a blender (I use my small food processer/chopper) and blend until smooth.  Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
 
*When ready to serve, warm tortillas, add steak, aioli sauce, and toppings