After that meal, the crock-pot went back in its carrying case and back in the cabinet. I’ve moved seven times since I received this gift of easy cooking. Each time I moved, the crock-pot found itself a new cabinet to call home. FINALLY, the other night I thought I’d give it another try now that I really enjoy cooking. What did I decide to throw in there this time? Brisket! This brisket isn’t just any brisket either; it’s southwestern brisket. You will be blown away by the amazing flavor that is cooking into this meat while you’re working or running errands. It’s truly magical.

I slightly modified this recipe from the Food Network. I’m so glad I stumbled across it and gave it a try. Also, Smitten Kitchen used this recipe to create some tasty brisket tacos! I served this over fried polenta squares and topped with crumbled goat cheese and red peppers.

Ingredients:
3 pounds beef brisket
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
1 (14.5 oz) can whole peeled organic tomatoes, with their juices
2 whole canned chipotle chiles en adobo (not 2 cans!)
2 bay leaves
6 tablespoons molasses

Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat just until beginning to smoke. Add the meat and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker; leave the skillet on the heat.

Add garlic, onion, chili powder, coriander, and cumin to drippings in the skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vinegar and boil until it’s almost gone, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in water and pour the mixture over the brisket. Crush the tomatoes through your fingers into the slow cooker; add the tomato juices, chipotles, bay leaves, and molasses. Cover the cooker, set it on LOW, and cook the brisket until it pulls apart easily with a fork, about 9 hours.

To serve, leave the meat in the slow cooker and use 2 forks to pull it apart and stir it evenly into the sauce; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove and discard bay leaves.

There has been a giant rain cloud hovering over Nashville for days now. I love winter but I have to admit… this cold, dreary weather has left me longing for sunny, happy weather. For now, I’ll just throw a recipe into the mix that is the best summertime meal. It’s pretty much a classic meal, so it could most likely be the right choice for a Super Bowl party too. You can’t go wrong with a delicious homemade pizza and an ice-cold beer. You heard that right – both of these things are gluten-free. Keep reading, you will be happy to hear that gluten-free pizza AND beer exists.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups Namaste Pizza Crust Mix
1 ¼ cups water
1 tsp olive oil (plus oil to coat the pan)

Heat oven to 450° F. Place oven rack at lowest position. Coat a large pizza pan (I used a large baking sheet) with oil or non-stick spray.

Combine 1 ½ cups pizza crust mix with 1 teaspoon oil and 1 ¼ cups water. Beat with an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Batter will be the consistency of cake batter.

Scrape batter onto pizza pan and spread with spatula. It is VERY important to spread batter to at least 14 inches.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes on lowest rack. Pull the crust out and add sauce and toppings.

I used a gluten-free pizza sauce and topped the pizza with goat mozzarella, shredded chicken, two chopped roma tomatoes, a small can of black olive slices, and some spinach. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

Slice and enjoy! The gluten-free beer I served with this is made from sorghum. Redbridge can be found in most grocery stores. Click here to read more about it on their website.

The recipe came from Cooking Light. I changed a few of the ingredient measurements, and have one comment about the lemon-garlic spinach. If you aren’t one to like lemon-y things, just eliminate the lemon zest and juice from the spinach to better fit your liking. It still tastes wonderful without the lemon.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! I was very impressed with how this recipe turned out.

SALMON
Ingredients:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 skinless salmon fillets
1 sliced onion
Olive oil to coat dish

SPINACH
Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Remaining Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare salmon, combine first 6 ingredients; rub spice mixture evenly over fish. Place onion in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with olive oil. Place fish on top of onion; bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

To prepare spinach, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Add half of spinach; cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add remaining spinach; cook 4 minutes or until wilted, stirring frequently. Sprinkle spinach mixture with rind and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in juice; remove from heat.

Place salmon on a platter. Arrange onions and spinach evenly around salmon. Sprinkle salmon with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 chicken breasts
4 oz creamy goat cheese
1 red pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried rosemary
5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tbsp Chicken Stock

Preheat oven to 350°.

Slice the red pepper lengthwise into thin strips. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Sauté in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes.

Mix the goat cheese with thyme, basil, and rosemary. Leave a couple pinches of the seasoning mix for the top of the chicken.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast to form a pocket.

Spread 1/4 of the goat cheese on one side of each chicken pocket. Place a few strips of red pepper on top of the goat cheese. Fasten the chicken pocket using either cook’s string or wooden skewers.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned on one side. Place chicken breasts in a glass baking dish (browned side up) with chicken stock and remaining olive oil. Top the chicken breasts with remaining herb mix and any remaining pepper slices. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until fully cooked.

I would LOVE any feedback. Was the recipe easy to follow? Did it turn out great? A complete failure? Seriously, I’m a fan of honesty. All thoughts are appreciated.