Pot Roast

Six servings at 5.6 nC each.

Step-by-step directions for those who are new to cooking from 'scratch'...please bear with me.

Choose your veggies.  Traditionally, people use carrots, potatoes, and onions.  When you are low-carbing, you can substitute radishes or turnips for the potatoes.  I still use carrots (when I have them) and just measure my portion carefully.  Onions are high in carbs, but I still use them--I just cut them in large pieces so that I can avoid them if I'm already too high in carbs for the day.  You can also include mushrooms.  I've used squash, too, but it can get mushy--so add it in the last hour of cooking.

Wash the veggies in grapefruit-seed extract.  (If you need to order, follow this link http://www.allhealthtrends.com/grapefruit-seed-extract-4oz.html.  It takes about 10 drops/gallon of water--so a 4oz bottle lasts a LONG time!)

Cut the veggies into similar size pieces--uniform pieces of veggie cook evenly.  If the pieces of veggie are too dissimilar, the small pieces will be overdone. 

Place butter in the bottom of the slow-cooker pan.  Layer the veggies--with the denser veggies on bottom, the lighter ones on top.  These radishes came from the farmers market (already cleaned) and many were quite large, so I weighed them to get a more accurate carb count (though radishes are so low in carbs that it was not totally necessary).  I sliced the largest radishes in half--so that they were about the same size as the smaller ones.  This is 1.8 lbs of radishes.

I used red onions this time--one whole onion (8.3 oz), cut into quarters and then sliced.

This is two packages of mushrooms--it worked out to 1.3 pounds.  I sliced them in half, so that they would be similar in size to the radishes.

After the veggies are layered in the slow-cooker, sear the meat.  Make sure that your skillet is very hot--if not, the meat doesn't sear properly.  I've sprinkled a bit of fajita seasoning over this.  It smells lovely while searing.

 Place the seared meat on top of the veggies and put the lid on the slow-cooker.  Check the time needed to cook the meat and remember to check it periodically.  At this point, you can add a bit of liquid--no more than one cup.  You can use broth, wine, water--or a mixture of all three.  Today, I'm using chipolte broth and a bit of wine. 

Once the roast is done, divide the roast into 6 portions and scoop out the vegetables.  Sprinkle a few shakes of xantham gum into the meat juice and bring to a boil, stirring often.  Add a few shakes, if needed, to get the juice to gravy texture.  Portion out and enjoy!

Volley's Notes:  

• You can prep the veggies a day or two before you cook.  Just make sure you have room in your fridge to overnight it.  
• Searing the meat before placing it in the slow-cooker isn't necessary, but it helps seal in the flavor.  
• Check your slow-cooker recipe book (or online) to find out the cook time for your chunk of pot-roast--the time will differ depending on weight. 
• You can use French onion soup mix instead of the chipotle broth & wine.  

Nutritional value given for pot roast prepared with the following ingredients and divided into 6 servings:
1.8 lbs of fresh radishes
8.3 oz of red onion
1.3 lbs fresh mushrooms
2 lbs beef pot roast
1 cube chipotle broth
1/2 cup wine
1/2 stick of butter

	Nutrition Facts   6 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 576.3   Total Fat 37.4 g       Saturated Fat 7.0 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g       Monounsaturated Fat 4.1 g   Cholesterol 111.0 mg   Sodium 393.6 mg   Potassium 1,167.3 mg   Total Carbohydrate 9.0 g       Dietary Fiber 3.4 g       Sugars 3.7 g   Protein 45.8 g   Vitamin A 4.7 %   Vitamin B-12 88.4 %   Vitamin B-6 39.6 %   Vitamin C 33.5 %   Vitamin D 18.4 %   Vitamin E 1.4 %   Calcium 27.0 %   Copper 22.0 %   Folate 7.8 %   Iron 26.1 %   Magnesium 12.2 %   Manganese 10.2 %   Niacin 45.8 %   Pantothenic Acid     19.2 %   Phosphorus     39.1 %   Riboflavin 41.3 %   Selenium 47.5 %   Thiamin 19.4 %   Zinc 52.6 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Nutritional value calculated using SparkPeople Recipe Builder