Speedy Meals for Summer Nights

I am not sure why it is harder to wrap my brain around slow cooker meals that suit summer, but it is. My brain tends towards stews and chilis in the slow cooker, which is really not usual summer dinner fare.

But honestly, summer is the perfect time to pull out the slow cooker. You can prep meals in advance and keep your kitchen cool by not turning on the oven or stove top. You can spend a bit of the morning getting dinner prepped and in the pot then you can lounge by the pool all day. Or more realistically run Mom’s taxi service for the kids.

My summer consists much more of the latter scenario. So, I thought I would try a new slow cooker recipe this week. I found a recipe for Slow Cooker Beef Teriyaki Lettuce Cups from www.redefinedmom.com. While trying to find more efficient recipes, I am also trying to get healthier again, so this one fits both categories.

There isn’t even that much prep to do ahead of time. You need to dice an onion and mince some garlic, then mix them into some soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar and grated ginger. Then place your beef in the slow cooker. You can use boneless eye or round roast. The recipe calls for 2 pounds, but I have never found a package of meat that weighs the exact amount called for in a recipe. I used 2.75 pounds of meat and it was still plenty saucy. Pour the sauce on top of the meat and set the slow cooker to low for 7-8 hours or on high for 6-7 hours. Then go about your business.

After hours of slow cooking and filling your house with a delicious aroma, remove the beef from the crock pot and set on a large platter. Combine some cornstarch and water until blended and whisk into the juices still in the slow cooker. Reset the cooker to high for 20-30 minutes.

While your sauce is thickening, you can shred the beef, removing any extra fat if necessary. Once the sauce is done, add the beef back into the slow cooker and stir to coat all of the beef.

Ideally, you can keep the meal low carb and serve the beef in cups of Romaine or Butter lettuce. Sprinkle with some toasted sesame seeds and some diced green onions. Because I am feeding a swimmer, I thought we needed a little more to it, so I cooked up some rice in my Instant Pot to go along with the beef. It is delicious added to the lettuce cups, or you can serve the shredded beef on the rice alone.

My family loved this recipe. Everyone had 2-3 lettuce cups first, then went back for a bit more rice with the Teriyaki beef on top. All 4 of us had second servings and there was still enough left over for at least one more meal. My husband is really not a fan of the lettuce cup concept, as it ends up being quite messy. He definitely prefers the beef served on top of the rice.

Serve it however your family prefers, you are sure to love the ease of the recipe as well as the flavor.

To try it yourself, find the recipe here:
https://redefinedmom.com/slow-cooker-beef-teriyaki-lettuce-cups-recipe/