Crock pot brisket

Things have been moderately healthy around here lately, if you don't count the cake ball flag I made a few days ago.  However, that was for a welcome back dinner and was completely eaten by friends, so technically it doesn't count.

It got rave reviews though. Not overly sweet like most cake balls. However it was defaced and turned into a pretty gross picture when I left to go to the bathroom for five minutes. I won't go into details, but I guess I should have known better than to leave it unattended with a group of boys for a few minutes. I was less than pleased, to say the least. Luckily it didn't affect the taste.

Onward...

My next recipe is very, very un-Texan of me.  In fact, I'm having a hard time writing about it, but it turned out so good that I just have too.  I made a brisket this week.... in a crockpot.  And I liked it.

I did finish it off in the oven to give it a little bit of fake bark, but the bulk of the work was performed by my trusty crock pot.  Of course it doesn't compare to the real thing, a crock pot just can't achieve that divine smoky wood flavor you get from a smoker.  But, it was good. Not the kind of good where you have to smother it in barbecue sauce good either (we've all had barbecue like that, and frankly that isn't real barbeque). The meat is good on its own, with deep flavors and a lots of juice. There is something to be said about putting meat in a crock pot, leaving it unattended for six hours, and having it turn out awesome.  I'm not complaining.

I want to share my recipe with you, but it is a tricky one. There are no exact measurements. It's more of a few shakes of this, a bit of that, etc. I will share all the ingredients I used. But, you really can't mess it up. I prefer a nice dry rub with lots of different seasonings, but feel free to modify it as you see fit.

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Crock Pot Brisket
3.5 pound brisket cut
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne pepper
Cumin
Thyme
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
Garlic Salt
4 cloves garlic
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 can of beer (I used miller lite)
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce (pick your favorite)
1/2 jar Mezzetta Banana peppers with juice

Mix together salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, thyme, garlic salt, and creole seasoning. Liberally apply to the cut of brisket and rub the seasonings into the meat. Let marinate for 5 hours.

Add brisket, onion, garlic, chicken stock, beer, barbeque sauce, and banana peppers to your crock pot.  Set to high and cook for 6 hours. You can also choose to set it to low and cook for 8 to 10 hours. Your choice!

I opted to make brisket sliders for the first meal. It's pretty safe to say you will most likely be seeing brisket enchiladas or tacos at some point in the next few days as well.

It's a perfect meal for a busy night, or if you just don't feel like cooking on the weekend. Like I said, not the same flavor as a smoked brisket, but still delicious.  And easy.  Very, very easy.

Happy weekend!

Saucy Mama take two

Like I mentioned earlier in the week, I received an awesome collection of Saucy Mama mustard to come up with a few healthy recipes.  The tarragon lemon salmon loaf I created on Monday was a big hit. I was even more surprised when it tasted just as good, if not better, when I had it again for supper on Tuesday.  It left me wishing I had made more of it.  Or at least bigger servings.

Since I received so many different mustard flavors, I decided to play around with a new flavor.  Smoky garlic seemed like it would be right up my ally.  In case you didn't know, I tend to be a little heavy with the garlic. Many a days I come back to the office after lunch reeking of garlic because I spent my lunch break chopping.  Jealous you aren't one of my coworkers? I thought so.

When I tried the smoky garlic mustard, I decided that it would pair well with a breakfast/brunchy kind of meal. Who doesn't love garlic first thing in the morning?  I opted to create mini quiche like muffins since I have been on a healthy muffin kick lately and haven't posted any this week.

It should be noted that I did actually make a healthy muffin option this week. Blueberry Zucchini with a hint of orange. Prior to baking the muffins, I realized I was completely out of non-stick spray and thought my "non-stick" pan would be able to handle it. Wrong. The muffins came out absolutely terrible looking and broken apart. They still tasted great, but had I photographed them and posted them you would have thought I was crazy. So, they will hopefully be making their debut next week.

Back to the quiche... on hand I had quinoa, egg whites, and a plethora of veggies.  With a little chopping and flavor sampling along the way, I ended up with a mini quiche I am quite happy with.  Do let me know if you try it.

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Saucy Mama Smoky Garlic Quinoa Quiche
yields 30 mini-quiche
1 cup dried quinoa
2 cups water
1 zucchini, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup egg whites
3 tbsp Saucy Mama Smoky Garlic Mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
Dash of garlic salt
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare quinoa. Bring two cups of water to a boil, pour in quinoa, bring to a boil again, then let simmer.  When all the liquid has absorbed, the quinoa will be finished.

In a large bowl add chopped zucchini, tomatoes, green onions, red onions, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic salt, egg whites and mustard. Stir to combine. Add cooked quinoa. Stir again and sprinkle in cheese.  Pour batter into mini muffin tins that have been sprayed with Pam.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until the tops are golden and set.

Not only are they quite tasty, they are pretty cute. You could easily serve these at a shower or luncheon and your guests would be absolutely tickled. And going with the Saucy Mama healthy recipe theme, they are failry guilt free. Each mini quiche has 40 calories, 1 g fat, 5 g carbs, and 3g of protein.

Top these off with little slices of avocado and I would be in heaven. They would be dreamy with sun dried tomatoes in them as well. Or some jalepenos to spice them up. Toss in some sliced ham and a mimosa on the side you'd have a pretty serious brunch on your hands.

Thank you Saucy Mama for sending your awesome product. I've had so much fun coming up with new recipe ideas. Saucy Mama is offering a giveaway, which I mentioned in a prior post, if you are interested in a chance in winning a Saucy Mama mustard pack, leave a comment here or on my entries on the Saucy mama facebook page.