Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

Today's recipe is another family favorite that I had to tweak to make gluten free as it doesn't require any dairy products to make. It is an easy fix, but not one that many people know is needed.

When I went dairy free I was happy to find that I could order just about anything I wanted at my favorite Asian food restaurants because they do not cook much with dairy. Then. . . I went gluten free and everything did a 180! Looking over the various things in my fridge to see what I could no longer use, I discovered a sad truth: There is gluten in soy sauce. Not all soy sauce has gluten. You can buy gluten free versions, but wheat is a very typical ingredient in soy sauce sold in America. That means I cannot eat anything cooked with soy sauce unless the restaurant uses gluten free soy sauce. So anything that I want to eat from Asian culture I will need to make myself at home. So I started with beef and broccoli. A really easy recipe when done in the crock pot!

The recipe I use comes from Tasty.

The original recipe
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients
for 4 servings

2 lb sirloin steak, or boneless beef chuck roast, sliced thin
1 cup beef broth
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons water
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
white rice, cooked, for serving

Directions

1. In the crockpot, whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, and brown sugar.
2. Place slices of beef in the liquid and toss to coat.
3. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 4 hours.
4. After 4 hours, whisk together cornstarch and water in small bowl. Pour into crock pot, add the broccoli and gently stir to combine.
5. Cover with lid and cook 30 minutes to cook broccoli and thicken sauce.
6. Serve with warm white rice.
7. Enjoy!

Allergy Friendly Version

Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients
for 4 servings

2 lb sirloin steak, or boneless beef chuck roast, sliced thin
1 cup beef broth
½ cup gluten free soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons water
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
white rice, cooked, for serving

Directions

1. In the crockpot, whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, and brown sugar.
2. Place slices of beef in the liquid and toss to coat.
3. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 4 hours.
4. After 4 hours, whisk together cornstarch and water in small bowl. Pour into crock pot, add the broccoli and gently stir to combine.
5. Cover with lid and cook 30 minutes to cook broccoli and thicken sauce.
6. Serve with warm white rice.
7. Enjoy!

My Opinion

So I made a boo boo when I made this tonight. I accidentally doubled the amount of brown sugar putting in a half of a cup with the recipe called for a fourth of a cup. It was quite the error, but it didn't seem to effect the recipe as much as I was afraid it would. The only difference I noticed in tonight's food was that it tasted more garlicky than usual. I still liked it, but I think I will reduce the amount of garlic next time. 

My Husband's Opinion

It tasted a little bit sweet, but it was still good. He would definitely have again which was evidenced by him having seconds tonight. ^^

Final Verdict

I think that I am going to have to revisit this section when I have made the recipe with the correct amount of ingredients. Right now, tonight, I will say 3 out of 5 stars. I still love the recipe and will make it again. but I need to improve it.

How they look coming out of the crock pot and rice cooker

I've gotta say, I love eating with chopsticks!