Crockpot Beef Burgandy

My bestie, Katie, valiantly offered to write this post to keep some fresh content for y'all this week while I'm taking the bar.  She's not quite as committed to real food as I am, but I'm working on her :)  She swears by the crockpot and it's ability to make any non-cook into an overnight chef! 

I am a bachelorette living in the city who, until recently, ate mostly processed and just-add-water type meals.  When I went back to school, the only change I made to that eating habit was to order more pizza and fast food.  All of that changed when my mom got a new crockpot and gave me her old one.  It opened up a whole new culinary world for me!

I now cook healthy, low-fat meals with real ingredients instead of processed foods that I have to hope and trust match the description on the label.  A novice I am when it comes to pure ingredients, but have come miles and miles with Lindsey's urging.  Amazingly, with my trusty crockpot, it takes as little effort as before, so what’s not to love?

Here’s my favorite recipe: French Beef Burgandy.  It’s super easy and so far gets rave reviews—perfect comfort food, and serves about 3-4 people.

Tips to make this even easier and tastier than it already is: 1) The original recipe called for beef chuck, but once by accident I bought rump roast and now I’ll never go back to chuck.  Rumps have zero marbling—just pure red meat throughout, except for a solid white lining of fat which I easily lobbed off.  I cooked it overnight, so it still tasted like a filet the next day—without any of the grease!  2) The only way I know of to mess up this recipe is to try browning the meat before the pan is hot enough to sear it.  3) when dredging the meat, just pour the flour, salt, pepper into a big ziplock.  Dump the meat into it and shake until the meat is white.  Easy peezy.  4) Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I used a jar of minced garlic (1/2 tsp=1 clove), and although it’s “processed,” it spares my hands and sanity, so there’s that.  Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have!

• 2 lbs. (I’ll just say it) Beef RUMP, 1” x 1”, cubed
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 cup red wine
• ½ cup parsley, finely chopped
• 7-8 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ cup flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Mix the flour with salt, pepper, then dredge the meat through it.  Heat olive oil in frying pan, and brown the meat.  Put all other ingredients into the crockpot, add the meat, and stir very well.  Cook for 6 hours on low, 2-3 hours on high.