Slow Cooker Beef Enchiladas

My favorite part about cooking (besides eating it all, of course) is that I control what goes into the dish. I am 100% in control of the health factor of what I am making. Sure, I can make a high-calorie pasta dish just as easily as a vegetable stir-fry, but I know that the stir-fry is more in line with what my body needs AND what will taste the best in the end. Even better, making my own food and in quantities to feed us for the week ahead, really saves some pennies. Sure, the grocery bill might be $70-100, but it easily feeds two mouths for Week 1 lunches and dinners, and usually leaves enough food stock-piled to feed us in Week 2, too.

My cheapest meals to shop for have been crock-pot meals. Crock-pot meals typically start with a huge chunk of meat. This is easily the most "expensive" thing you will buy, and it's not even that expensive compared to the higher-end cuts of meat for other meals. Then you cover it with cheap broths, vegetables,  and water, and voila! Easy and healthy, and you barely had to do any work.

I have realized that I can't always get my game together to put crockpot items together in the AM. That means getting up early and dealing with mostly raw chunks of meat. Ick. Instead, I often cook these types of things on Low overnight, waking up with time still left on it's "warming" function. Then I take out the whole crockpot dish and put it in the fridge for the day. Before we go to eat that night, I can then scrape off any excess fat, too, which will have risen to the top and hardened.

This particular recipe proved pleasing for any time you are craving Mexican food. Which, if you are like me, is quite often :) Luckily, this dish serves a crowd, or can be stretched out over a few lunches and/or dinners for two. Enjoy!

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Crock-Pot Beef Enchiladas
Jane Talso, Albuquerque, NM
Fix It and Forget It Cookbook

4-lb. boneless chuck roast
2 tbsp. oil
4 c. sliced onions
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. cumin
2 4.5 oz. cans peeled, diced green chilies
14.5 oz. can peeled, diced tomatoes
8 large tortillas
1 lb. cheddar cheese
4 c. green or red enchilada sauce

1. Brown roast on all sides in oil in saucepan. Place roast in slow cooker.
2. Add remaining ingredients except tortillas, cheese and sauce.
3. Cover. Cook on High 4-5 hours.
4. Shred meat with fork and return to slow cooker.
5. Warm tortillas in oven or microwave. Warm sauce on stove or in microwave. Fill each tortilla with 3/4 c. beef mixture and 1/2 c. cheese. Roll up, top with sauce and serve.

Note from KJM: This recipe was easily halved and it still made enough for dinners and lunches for two. I cooked the halved recipe on low for 6 hours and it turned out perfectly! Once the meat gets stewed up like this, you can be a bit more liberal with the timing on Low.