EASIEST CROCK POT STEW

5 Qt. Crock Pot for Easiest Crock Pot Stew

Here's the easiest crock pot stew you will ever make and it's great for any night of the week. Did you see this on Twinformation on YouTube? Let us know in the comments if you did. 
This crock pot recipe makes A LOT of food so you'll be able to freeze it, pull it out, defrost it and eat it whenever you don't have time to make something.

You can make this stew with things you probably already have in your pantry and fridge.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED (TOOLS):
CROCK POT - 3 OR 5 QT. VOLUME
CUTTING BOARD, KNIVES, OR FOOD PROCESSOR

Packages of lentils & brown rice will cost about $1 a pop

INGREDIENTS:
(all of these are really up to your discretion - what you like, what you have lying around, you get the idea)
4 carrots (peeled & diced)
4 celery stalks (diced)
1 onion (chopped finely)
4 garlic cloves (chopped finely)
1 red bell pepper (seeded & diced)
1 cup uncooked lentils (rinsed & sorted)
1/2 cup brown uncooked brown rice
Water
Vegetable or chicken boullion
Spices to taste (sage, rosemary, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper are all nice choices with this stew)

For the "meat" of the meal:
1 pkg tofu (drained & pressed and cut into cubes)
OR
1 lb chicken (cut into bite size pieces)
OR
1 lb ground beef

METHOD:
Put all veggie, meat, starch & legume ingredients into crock pot. Fill nearly to top with cool water and put in a few teaspoons or cubes of boullion. Add other spices to taste.

Turn crock pot on high and let stew cook for at least 6 hours. Mix crock pot contents thoroughly following cooking. You can add spices such as salt, pepper, sage, thyme, or anything else you may like to taste at this point.... or, you can allow stew to cool and package it into single-serving, freezable containers. Freeze the containers and the contents and thaw when you need a quick go-to meal.

Single Serving Container of Crock Pot Stew Ready to Freeze

You can spice the stew up to your desire after thawing and heating. Blend the stew for a creamy consistency or keep it as is to enjoy all the ingredients and the wonderful flavors.

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Things I Love!

So here are a few 'tools of the trade'...not that I'm really in the cooking trade by profession... but these things always make cooking so much better, easier, and for some reason they make stuff taste better!

If you like to cook and come across these items, seriously consider them.

• Cast Iron Grilling Pan - a friend of mine used a Mario Batali cast iron grilling pan to make zuchini and butternut squash. Yes, I know. Sounds...earthy, right? But, it was delicious because the squash was put into risotto and had a ton of flavor. I've prepared zuchini, portabello mushrooms, salmon and a few other items in the pan and they turned out fantastically. I found our grilling pan at Crate & Barrel on sale! There are plenty of others out there if you don't feel like making Chef Mario any richer. 
• Good Set of Knives - This was one of the things that came into the kitchen courtesy of my husband. Instead of the random knives accumulated over the years and using them for everything, a set of knives include steak knives. Good knives make chopping so much faster and while you need to be careful while handling them, they're actually less likely to slip and cut you. 
• Olive Oil Spritzer - a coworker got me this for Christmas and it's one of the most used things in the kitchen. Now instead of spraying a chemical cooking spray in the pan before sauteing, you just spray a quick spritz of olive oil. I think it's about $10...hey, it was a gift! 

So I'll add more great tools of the trade in the posts to come. Hope these help you!