STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

I don't have a stew recipe, but I got this in a recent weight watchers newsletter - I haven't made it yet but it sounds yummy. I left the points, etc in for any ladies who might need them.

Three Bean and Pork Slow Cooker Chili
POINTS® Value | 5
Servings | 10
Preparation Time | 35 min
Cooking Time | 480 min
Level of Difficulty | Easy
Chunks of pork tenderloin make this chili especially robust. Spicy peppers further enhance the flavor.

Ingredients

1 medium onion(s), chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 cup carrot(s), chopped
1 Tbsp chili powder, medium-hot
1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1 medium jalapeno pepper(s), seeded, chopped (don't touch seeds with bare hands) or 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 pound lean pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch chunks
15 oz canned black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned tomato puree
29 oz canned diced tomatoes, with green pepper, celery and onion, undrained
6 oz canned tomato paste
Instructions

1. Combine onion, garlic, carrots, chili powder, oregano, jalapeno, salt and pepper in a 5-quart (or larger) slow cooker; stir. Add remaining ingredients; stir again.

2. Cover and cook on HIGH setting for 6 to 8 hours. Yields about 1 cup per serving. (Start cooking the chili at a HIGH setting so the ingredients quickly reach a safe temperature. You can reduce the heat to LOW after 3 to 4 hours, if you prefer.)

The other thing I like to do in the crockpot is round steak & gravy. You just cut up pieces of round steak (maybe called top sirloin / top round in the meat area of the grocery) cut up an onion in rings, put in 2 packets of the packaged brown gravy & enough water to cover. Cook on low all day. Yummy. I serve it with mashed potatoes but it's good with rice to. At the end you can add in a can of cream of mushroom soup to thicken up the gravy, but sometimes I just want brown gravy!

There is a good roast recipe floating around here somewhere - if i find it I'll post the link.