Slow Cooker Chili

We found this recipe on Low Sodium Cooking. This chili is extremely hearty. It uses stew meat instead of ground beef. You will not miss the salt in this recipe. 

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

2 Onions, Chopped

2 teaspoons of Garlic, Minced

2 tablespoons of Chili Powder
*
1 tablespoon of Ground Cumin

1/8 teaspoon of Black Pepper

1 1/2 lb of Beef Stew Meat, Cubed

2 cans of No Salt Added Tomatoes

1 can of No Salt Added Black Beans
 (optional)
8 ounces of Frozen or No Salt Added Canned Corn (optional)

*If you can get some ground Chipotle from a spice shop, then I recommend cutting the Chili Powder amount in half and adding 1 tablespoon of Chipotle.
 
Heat oil in a large skillet. 
Add onions and garlic and cook 4-5 minutes, until onions are softened. 
Add spices and beef. 
Cook and stir 6-8 minutes, until beef is browned on all sides. 
Place beef mixture in slow cooker. 
Stir in tomatoes and beans if desired. 
Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours.

The ingredients.

I am lazy and chop my onion and garlic in the food processor.

Cube the stew meat.

The oil, onion, and garlic.

Adding the beef to the pan.

Adding the ground Cumin.

Adding the Chili Powder.

Adding the Black Pepper.

This, my friends, is essential for slow cooking. It is a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner. It makes clean up so easy. I believe my friend, Amy, introduced me to this amazing product.

Put this delicousness into.....

 this.

Add the diced tomatoes.

Stir it all together and wait 8 to 10 hours.

Pour on top of egg noodles (or rice or elbow macaroni). Top with cheddar cheese. 

This recipe is crazy simple and can be personalized in so many ways. Like green peppers? Add them. Want it more spice? Add more chili powder.

~Stefani =)

Taco Lasagna

We found this recipe on Low Sodium Cooking. It has become a favorite and a go to in low sodium cooking for us.  They call is Taco Casserole, but we found that Taco Lasagna is a better description. We have changed the recipe to suit our tastes. You may find the original recipe here.

1 pound of Ground Beef

1 Onion, Chopped

1 clove of Garlic, Minced or grated

1 tablespoon of Chili Powder

1/2 teaspoon of Oregano

1/2 teaspoon of Cumin

1 can of No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes

8 oz can of No Salt Added Tomato Sauce (or No Salt Added Tomato Paste if in a pinch)

1 can No Salt Added Black Beans

12 Corn Tortillas

3/4 cup of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded (or as much cheese as you would like)

In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the ground beef, onion, and garlic until the beef is done. 

Drain off excess fat. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes and spices. 

Simmer mixture for 2 minutes. 

Place a layer of 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray. 

Place a layer of the beef mixture over top. 

Then 4 more tortillas. 

Then the beans. 

The final 4 tortillas and the rest of the beef mixture. 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven until cheese has melted.  


We like to add cheese to all the layers. We just REALLY like cheese.

The ingredients. The "Accent" in the red and white shaker is MSG. Yes, it is basically sodium, but it give it an extra something with less sodium than salt.

The beef, onions, and garlic in the skillet.

The meat with all the seasonings. Instead of a full tablespoon of Chili Powder we used half Chili Powder and half Chipotle Powder.  When I was in town I went to Goeke Produce and stocked up on fresh spices.

The meat with the tomatoes added.

Spraying the pain. (Awesome photography by my husband.)

The first layer of corn tortillas.

The first layer of the meat mixture with extra cheese.

Second layer of tortillas and the beans. The spot with no beans is mine.

The last layer of tortillas with the meat and cheese.

The finished product!

We have found that Mexican and Italian are the easiest make low sodium. With all the other flavors going on you don't miss the salt.

~Stefani =)