Recipe: Crock Pot Moroccan Sweet Potato and Beef Stew

Looking for another beef stew recipe? Need a quick and healthy recipe? Well ... I

have a delicious one for you. Moroccan

Sweet Potato and Beef Stew with a hint of heat and spice... is a perfect

alternative to the hum drum beef stew.

No oil is necessary... no browning of the meat before

putting it in the crock pot... nope... just pop in the ingredients.. turn it to

low... and 8 hours later... you have a meal.

Making it in a crock pot makes it so easy... it takes

literally minutes to put together... and no work whatsoever... you don't even need

to stir it... just lift the lid and serve it.

This recipe is all over... so it was difficult to know it's

origin.. it seems it is a Moroccan staple much like our beef stew recipes here

in the US. I looked over all the recipes

and kept mine simple... I'm glad I did.. it was delicious...

TIPS

When you look over

the ingredient list.... and see cinnamon.. don't be tempted to leave it

out.. it adds a perfect balance to the other ingredients... it doesn't end up

being the dominant flavor.. in fact.. really none of the spices end up the

star... this truly is a blend of flavors.

I was tempted... big time... to add 2 cans of diced tomatoes

instead of one.... I just didn't think there would be enough for the entire

pot.... but I resisted... when the stew was finished cooking.. it was

perfect... so my advice.. stick to the recipe.

I blended the spices and flour in a bowl before putting them

in the crock pot.. the best way to do that is using a wire whisk.. it evenly

distributes them.

I use lean stew meat... the crock pot slow cooking makes it

extremely tender.. no need for the additional fat in fatty cuts of meat.

As I mentioned in the beginning.. no browning of the meat is

necessary...

I used golden raisins.... originally I used a 1/4 cup of

raisins.. but they get kind of lost in the stew... so I upped the quantity....

The recipe calls for one can of diced tomatoes with onion

and garlic. As luck would have it my

local store didn't have that variety... so I used a can of Hunts Fire Roasted

Garlic Diced Tomatoes. I added 1

teaspoon of onion powder to compensate for the change.

The quantity of spices seems like a lot... especially the

cayenne... but the long slow cooking dulls the heat.... these quantities listed

produced a tiny zip... no more than you would get from a taco or mild chili...

so be not afraid!

The salt is listed in a range... some people like salt...

some don't... I actually added a little more than 1/2 a teaspoon and it seemed

right for us.. but I don't usually add a lot of salt to my cooking... I

wouldn't recommend leaving it totally out... but using the amount listed

definitely does NOT make a salty dish.

You can serve this as is... or with rice or couscous.

I hope you try this wonderful stew!

Recipe: Crock Pot Moroccan Sweet

Potato and Beef Stew

All you need:

• About 2 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 1 can diced tomatoes with onion and garlic *See TIPS
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (ground red pepper)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• Cooked rice for serving (optional)
• All you need to do:
• In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon, cumin, salt, cayenne and
• flour. Mix with a wire whisk until

completely blended.

Place meat, sweet potatoes and raisins in the pot and then dump

the spice mixture into the crock pot.

Toss to evenly coat everything with the spice mixture. Add the canned tomatoes and give it a quick

stir.

Cover and set the crock pot on low for 8 hours. Stir before serving.

Optional: Serve over

rice.