BEEF AND BROCCOLI ON SLOW COOKER

Ingredients

2 lbs. boneless beef check roast or steaks

1 can beef broth (about 15 oz)

1 C. low sodium soy sauce

2/3 C. dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 C. corn starch

4-5 C. broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)

Serve with white rice (I cooked two cups dry in my rice cooker and it was a great match)

Directions

1. Cut meat into thin strips, about 2 inches in length.

2. Put beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and garlic into the slow cooker and stir. Add meat.

3. Cook on low for 3 hours (or high for 1 1/2).

4. Remove 1/2 C. of the liquid and place into a small bowl and add cornstarch. Whisk unit smooth.

5. Pour cornstarch mixture back into the crock pot and stir. This will thicken your sauce. Cook for another 30 minutes.

6. At this time you can add your frozen broccoli to the crock pot (at the same time you add the cornstarch) or you can steam your broccoli separately in the microwave. If you steam or cook separately just stir them into the sauce before serving so they're covered in that saucy goodness.

7. Serve on top of rice!

RECIPE NOTES

Note about cooking time: Your crock pot may differ in temperature than mine, I suggest cooking this for 4 hours on your first go-round of this dish. 6 hours in the crockpot seems to be giving a lot of people "shredded" beef instead of slices, so decrease cooking time by 2 hours and go from there. Mine turned out fine with 6 hours.

If you are using frozen broccoli florets, you do NOT need to defrost them prior to putting them in the slow cooker. You add them in at the same time as you add the cornstarch mixture. As stated in the instructions, after you add the cornstarch mixture, you cook for 30 more minutes. This should be more than enough time to cook and defrost your broccoli florets.

If you're using fresh broccoli, you do NOT need to steam them prior to putting them in the crockpot. You add them in at the same time as you add the cornstarch mixture. Since you cook an additional 30 minutes, this will ensure that your fresh broccoli will be cooked through.

Yes, you put the meat in the slow cooker raw, in sliced pieces.

If you find that your mixture is not thickening, simply drain the liquid from the slow cooker and place it in a small pot over the stove over medium-high heat. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir into the liquid. This should thicken the sauce.

Source