<\/a><\/p>\nHere, I cooked 3 1\/2 pounds of beef short ribs imbued with a subtle Asian flavor achieved without using any soy sauce, so besides being delicious \u00a0it’s also Low Sodium. I cooked the beef short ribs in the crock pot on a Sunday during the day, refrigerated it that night, and skimmed the fat the next day before cooking it on Low for a few more hours. Dinner prep for Meal #1 was simple: cook the rice and saut\u00e9\u00a0the vegetables.<\/p>\n
For Meal #2, warm a quart of homemade vegetable broth or store-bought low sodium beef or vegetable broth, add the shiritake or rice noodles, cook according to package directions. Stir in the greens – I used\u00a0Gai Lan\u00a0– also known as Chinese broccoli and my new favorite green; but spinach, mustard greens, kale, or collard greens will do fine. Add cubed extra firm tofu and sliced scallions, sprinkle with Japanese togarashi. Serve with Kimchee (also, kimchi) – a Korean condiment of spicy fermented vegetables, most commonly, cabbage.<\/p>\n
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Cooking Tip<\/strong>: \u00a0Cooking meat in a slow cooker is similar to the ultimate cold-weather technique of braising long hours in the oven. Just as with braising, there are a few steps to perform that ensure a complex and deeply flavored dish. I know that some people swear you can just throw a chicken or meat in the slow cooker and be done with it, but mouth-watering, fall-off-the bone results take a little more effort, especially when cooking beef or pork : (1) sear the meat; (2) deglaze the pan – add a little wine or broth to the pan and scrape up browned bits and cooking juices to add to the cooking liquid; (3)\u00a0saut\u00e9 your vegetables before adding to the slow cooker, this allows the natural sugars to caramelize and deepens the flavor of your stew or soup; and (4) add the vegetables to the meat later in the cooking cycle if possible. \u00a0Note: I prefer to cook my vegetables separately to maintain their vibrant colors because they tend to get brownish looking when cooked all together, but that’s me…<\/p>\n<\/div>
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