Easy Slow Cooker Jamaican Stew Beef

I like to do things the easy way and was very happy when I recently discovered this trio of Jamaican seasonings by Spur Tree that would allow me to make my favorite Jamaican dishes with minimum effort. More importantly is the fact that the sauces are so perfectly balanced, that they really do not need much done to them to make them better. I still like to add my own personal touch to them so that the flavor I end of with, reminds me of my own family type cooking. Just to be clear, I have not received any monetary reimbursement from the company. I just happen to like their seasonings!

With this in mind, I decided to use the Oxtail seasoning sauce to make stew beef (same beef but just a different part of the cow). This recipe is a result of that need. Yes, it does take some preparation but once all the ingredients are put in the slow cooker, the rest of the day is yours to enjoy. The best part is that at the end of the day you will end up with a hearty stew with the taste of home. I plan to experiment using these seasonings to develop more recipes as well as explore the other seasonings that the company markets. Be sure to search the marinade for pieces of Thyme stems, just like you would if your were using Thyme in your own seasoning!

3 lbs stew meat cut into chunks (choose a mixture with a few fatty pieces)

2 tablespoon oil

6 fluid ozs (3/4 cup) Spur Tree Oxtail Seasoning (make sure to remove any pieces of Thyme stems you may find)

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces

3 stalks of celery OR 3 Chayote (Cho-Cho, Christophene) Squash, peeled and cut into chunks

1 medium sized onion

1 small tin (10ozs) diced tomato and chilis

1 small tin (140zs) Swanson beef broth

1 medium tin large butter or broad beans

1 Scotch Bonnet Chili (optional)

1.      Marinate the beef with the Oxtail Seasoning sauce in the fridge overnight. As you would if you were using fresh thyme in the seasoning, search carefully to find and remove any pieces of Thyme stem from the marinade.

2.      Mix the meat with 1 tablespoon oil and place in an oven proof baking dish

3.      Peel and cut the onion into large chunks. Mix with 1 tablespoon oil

4.      Bake the beef and the onion pieces in separate baking dishes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the beef is browned and the onions appear wilted. Stir the meat a couple of times so that all sides can be browned. Much of the water from the meat will evaporate at the high temperature. Remove from oven. The idea is to sear the meat and brown the marinade in the oil since that is the “carrier” for the flavor.

5.      Place the carrots, celery or Chayote squash in the bottom of an 8 quart slow cooker. Add the tinned tomatoes, the oven baked beef chunks with any remaining liquid. Puree the onion pieces to a paste and add to the mixture. Add the tin of beef broth, mix everything together in the slow cooker,  and put the scotch bonnet pepper on top.

6.      Cover and cook at high for about 4-6 hours. Add the tinned butter beans an hour before finishing. Thicken the gravy either by adding flour dumpling spinners, and cooking till they are done or use 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with a little water to do the same thing.

Date Oat Bran and Flax Breakfast Muffins

I like dates, oats, oat bran and flax meal so decided to roll them all into a breakfast muffin. I could not find any recipe on the Internet that offered me the option to use all the ingredients, so I made my own recipe! These are very moist (almost wet because of the juicy dates), sweet with a hint of Cardamom which goes well with dates. They will need the full 25 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

1/2 cup sliced Medjool dates

½ cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup boiling water

¾ cup oat bran

¾ cup flax meal

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Juice of 1 Lemon

1/2 teaspoon of Ground Cardamom

½ teaspoon Allspice

½ cup brown sugar lightly packed

1 egg beaten

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup half and half

½ cup no fat plain Greek style unsweetened yogurt

1. Preheat the oven to 375℉ . Position rack to middle.
2. Paper line 12 muffin cups.
3. Combine the dates, cranberries and boiling water in a small bowl. Let the dried fruit soften and plump up. Set mixture aside to cool. When cool, puree about half of the dates and cranberries to a paste then add back to the liquid mixture.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, oat bran, flax meal, flour, baking soda, spices, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Whisk together. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, oil, yogurt and half and half. When it has thickened slightly and got a bit paler in color, add the lemon juice and the date mixture.
6. Add the dry ingredients (including the date/cranberry mixture) to the liquid ingredients. Stir with wooden spoon until just moistened.
7. Fill muffin liners 3/4 full.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean.

Blueberry Oat Breakfast Muffins

I like to grab a muffin of two for a quick breakfast with coffee. Really want it to be as healthy as possible. This recipe fits the bill for me. The recipe is a large one and is meant for Jumbo muffin tins but can be used in regular size muffin tins as well. It yields about 21 regular sized muffins. Despite the oats, oat bran and flax meal, the muffins are light. They are not particularly sweet. If you like it sweeter, the sugars may be increased to 1/2 cup each OR just add about 1/4 cup good quality Maple Syrup. Either way will work. Just don't do both! They freeze well.I wrap them in foil and store in a freezer bag in the freezer. To reheat, take down the night before and keep in the refrigerator. Reheat in a microwave on low power until reheated through (remove the foil wrap and the foil liner before putting in the microwave). I wrap the muffin in a damp paper towel to reheat in the microwave.

 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup oats

½ cup oat bran

1/3 cup brown sugar 

1/3 cup white sugar

2 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup ground flax

2 tsp salt 

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups half and half

1 tbsp Molasses

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup yogurt

1 cup blueberries

½ cup Craisins (or Raisins)

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

½ tsp nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the flours, oats, oat bran,  Craisins, baking powder, spices, salt and flax together.
3. In a separate bowl (large), whisk the eggs, vanilla, yogurt, half and half, sugars, and oil.
4. Add the mixed dry ingredients, and the blueberries to the wet. Use a wooden spoon to do this by hand. Do NOT overmix. The batter should be slightly lumpy and the flour mixture just moistened.
5. Spoon batter into muffin tins lined with foil liners.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops barely start to brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Makes 18 large muffins or 21 regular-sized muffins.