Local fitness enthusiast Jason Murphy remakes favorite meals of his youth into healthy dishes. See the full list of his recipes at www.mysaline.com/shirtless.
Slow cookers are a paradox. They take all day to cook something, while simultaneously saving you major time in the kitchen. Since making the commitment to eschew processed foods and cook everything from scratch, any time recouped from the kitchen is greatly appreciated in my life. When I have chores or some random life thing that has to be done on a weekend, throwing a hunk of beast in the slow cooker in the morning to simmer all day can free up hours.
It’s also versatile, so if you find yourself with a cut of beef or pork, there will almost certainly be something in the pantry to ad-lib an easy and tasty dinner. Such was the case a few weekends ago. I found myself with a 1 lb. grass fed top round roast and no definite plans for cooking it. Looking through the pantry and seeing a can of Rotel, steak fajitas immediately came to mind. I also had some portobello mushrooms in the chill chest, which are just begging to be stuffed. They also bring some serious nutritional health benefits to the party like disease fighting antioxidants and phytonutrients.
Portobellos are a great source of L – ergothioneine and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Why is that a good thing, you might be asking? Well, two of the top most items on the old health wish list most people have is 1) Don’t get cancer and 2) Don’t get old. Both of those amazing phytochemicals do just that, fight cancer by inhibiting bad cell growth and have anti-aging properties. Portobellos are low in carbs, have a good amount of fiber, and have a high amount of B vitamins that improve metabolism, blood pressure, and energy. Tortillas just can’t stand up to those high standards. Plus they are delicious and who doesn’t love a bowl you can eat?
You don’t need a lot to make this a great meal. Prepare some fresh pico and some lemon yogurt, add some diced avocado and cilantro, and you have a meal that not only is easy to make and tastes great, but will keep both the Oncologist and the Plastic Surgeon away, and that is hard to beat.
Stuffed Mushroom Steak Fajitas
Ingredients:
- 1 lb grass fed beef top round roast
- 1 can Rotel
- 4 – 6 portobello mushrooms
- Sea salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder
- Juice of one lime
- Pepper Jack cheese slices
Instructions:
Early in the morning on the day of cooking, preheat a cast iron skillet to 500 degrees. Set the slow cooker to low and pour in the can of rotel. Whisk in the juice of 1 lime along with 1 tbsp of cumin and chili powder. Rub the roast with a light layer of avocado oil and season all sides with a heavy coating of sea salt and pepper. Sear all sides of the roast, about 2 minutes per side. Then place the roast in the slow cooker. After 3-4 hours, turn the roast once and cook for another 2-3 hours. When the roast is done, shred with forks inside the cooker and set the heat to “keep warm” while preparing the mushrooms.
Wash and dry the mushrooms. Use a knife to cut off the stem, and then use a spoon to clean out the gills and thin the mushrooms if needed. Spray both sides with avocado oil spray and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place on wire rack on top of a baking sheet:
Divide the beef evenly among the mushrooms:
Top with pepper jack cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.
I like to roast broccoli at the same time for a side dish, season as desired and bake on another sheet at the same time, stirring after 10 minutes. Options for serving include plain grass fed yogurt mixed with 1/2 juice of a lemon, fresh pico, diced avocado and cilantro.
See the list of all the Shirtless Chef recipes at www.mysaline.com/shirtless.