Animal, Nature, and Travel: Taste-bud Journey: Crockpot Pot Roast

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for pot roast made using my Ninja 4-in-1 with Auto IQ. Long ago, I learned how to make this from a cookbook plus from a dear friend. Mostly, I made this so that I could use the leftovers to make roast beef sandwiches.

I do this in memory of both my parents, may they both rest in peace. My dad used to make wonderful wheat bread. My mom would have frozen packets of roast beef I could thaw out and utilize. Longing to replicate those 'warm fuzzy' memories motivated me to once again make this particular recipe.

Whenever I make a pot roast:

I enjoy a meal that first night.

I usually set aside enough leftovers to have that meal the next day.

The rest of the roast beef I freeze in separate packets - each one to be used in a future roast beef sandwich.

Recipe

Roast beef. Lately, I order this pre-sliced by the butcher. It saves me having to dig out my electric knife at the end of the cooking process.
2 teaspoons of beef bouillon powder dissolved in two cups of water.
A packet of Lipton Onion Soup powder dissolved in another two cups of water. [I got this idea from my dear friend, Terry, who invited me to dinner and made a yummy onion infused pot roast. Thanks, Terry!]
Two tablespoons of onion flakes
Pot Roast veggies such as potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, and mushrooms
1 teaspoon of salt
Seasoning salt to use on both sides of each slice of roast beef prior to searing

GRAVY:

1 tablespoon of cornstarch stirred into 1/2 cup of water
A few tablespoons of cooking liquid stirred into the cornstarch mixture before adding all of this to the liquid at the bottom of the crockpot.

Please note: With the leftover gravy not used with your pot roast servings, you could place that in a soup mug along with some canned mixed veggies and make your own vegetable beef soup to enjoy at a future meal.

Please also note: Here is the soup recipe link from one of my blog posts called Taste-bud Journey: Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup

Procedure

Step 1: Wash the beef.

Step 2: Turn on the stove top setting on the Ninja 4-in-1 with Auto IQ to high. Pour in some cooking oil such as olive oil to keep the meat from sticking. Then, sear both sides of each slice of beef after seasoning it with seasoning salt. Then, turn off the stove top setting.

Step 3: Place the seared beef slices into the cooking basket.

Step 4: In the bottom of the Ninja 4-in-1 with Auto IQ pot, spread out your pot roast veggies such as potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, and mushrooms.

Step 5: In a two-cup measuring cup, dissolve two teaspoons of beef bouillon powder in two cups of water. In another two-cup measuring cup, dissolve a packet of Lipton Onion Soup powder mix in two cups of water. In either one of those cups, add 1 teaspoon of sat plus two tablespoons of onion flakes. Pour that four cups of liquid into the pot.

Step 6: Place the basket of beef slices on top of all of that. Then, put on the lid. Turn on the crockpot setting on the Ninja cooker. It defaults to a four-hour cooking session.

Step 7: At the end of the four hours, pull out the basket of beef and all the veggies. Now, it is time to make the gravy.

Step 8: Spoon in one tablespoon of cornstarch into 1/2 cup of cold water. Stir until there are no lumps. Then, add a few tablespoons of the hot beef liquid from the crockpot and stir until there are no lumps. Afterward, pour that mixture into the pot.

Step 9: Turn on the stove top setting on the Ninja - set to high. Put on the lid. Heat the gravy until boiling. The liquid should now be nice and thickened like gravy.

Step 10: Turn off the Ninja cooker. Unplug and allow to cool.

Step 11: Plate your food and add gravy on top to meet your particular taste-preference.

Step 12: Save any leftover gravy to make a vegetable beef soup that I will blog about tomorrow.

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.