Easy Healthier Crock-Pot Carne Guisada

There are days when you wake up and do something that will make the whole day better.
Such as filling your slow cooker with ingredients, setting the timer so that it kicks on whilst you’re out and that by the time you get home: Dinners Ready!
I must come clean though, whenever I leave the Crock-Pot and I’m not home I do worry that I might burn the place down.
In fact, I know quite a few people that are so freaked out they run their slow cooker on the garage floor or outside on the terrace.
I try to use mine as safe as possible; I place it on the granite island with nothing near it.
It’s also plugged into a GFI plugin, so if there is any electrical problem it would be tripped.
I also do not have cats or dogs, so there’s no risks about an animal climbing near it.
Still, I worry because I do not trust technology that much...and yes, I’ve suddenly realized I’m becoming my grandpa!

Anyways, yesterday morning I made this glorious carne guisada.
For those of you not familiar with it, carne guisada (which translates to “stewed meat”) is a very savory, a tad spicy stew.
Chunks of lean beef are slowly simmered with tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and spices to make a rich spicy gravy.
I often order carne guisada when I go to Mexican restaurants, it is an incredible fulfilling meal, hard to beat on a cold day.
This carne guidasa is delish -  I know I say this about all of my recipes but trust me on this one. The slow cooker does all of the hard work all you have to do is sit, relax, and let the magic happen.

It all starts with a two-pound beef chuck roast, cut it into one-inch cubes.
I then chop up onions, garlic, bell pepper, chile; sear the beef; saute’ the vegetables with the spices and then throw everything in the Crock-Pot with diced tomatoes, broth and bay leaves.
In 6 hours the slow cooker turns beef chunks into melt-in-your-mouth tips and the gravy gets so amazingly thick.


Carne guisada can be a meal in itself, served in a bowl with cauliflower rice.
You can also wrap it up in gluten-free (or cauliflower) tortillas for tacos, and the leftovers can be a hearty topping on a pile of scrambled eggs, for a power breakfast.
But without further ado, here’s is my recipe.
This my recipe, so it might not be like your grandmother’s recipe because that’s the thing about carne guisada — everybody’s is different...

Easy Healthier Crock-Pot Carne Guisada                                                            Print this recipe! 
Adapted from Everyday Food
Ingredients
Serves 8

2 lbs / 900 gr grass-fed organic beef chuck roast (or bottom round), cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green chile, seeded and diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon chili powder
¾ dried oregano
3 tablespoons arrowroot powder*
1 ¾ cups / 400 ml low sodium chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz / 411 gr) diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen)
2 bay leaves
Fresh chopped cilantro and grated cheese, for serving

*arrowroot powder acts like cornstarch

Directions

In a large dish, season beef cubes with salt and pepper. Set aside
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook beef (in one or two batches) until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Transfer browned beef to a slow cooker.
In the same skillet, heat remaining one tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic, and cook stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add cumin, chili powder, and arrowroot powder and cook for 1 further minute.
Slowly pour broth into the skillet, stirring until liquid is smooth and then transfer to Crock-Pot, along with tomatoes and bay leaves.
Cover and cook on medium-high for 6 hours.
Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro and with grated cheese.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 451 calories, 33 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs, and 31 grams of protein.