Crockpot Chinese Beef & Bok Choy

I'm always on the lookout for new recipes so when this month's Food Network Magazine came in the mail I was excited to see a crockpot beef recipe. I tweaked it a little based on what I had in the house. Definitely worth making again - sweet and spicy but not so much so that the kids wouldn't eat it. In fact, 2 1/2 out of the 3 kids liked it (the 1/2 is for Addie who ate all of Parker's while hovering near the table and then decided she didn't like it once it was on her plate.) Hayden's standing next to me right now saying "I loved it!" So if that's not a ringing endorsement courtesy of my 9-year-old, I don't know what is. Give it a try!

Ingredients:
2 onions, cut in 1" pieces
6 cloves of garlic, whole
4 thin slices ginger, unpeeled
1 Tbls bean paste (adjust up or down depending on how spicy you like it. If you don't have bean paste on hand, you can dice up a hot pepper and throw that in instead.)
3 Tbls flour
1 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast or stew beef

1/4 c. hoisin sauce

1/4 c. mirin or rice wine

3 Tbls low sodium soy sauce

2 Tbls packed light brown sugar

1 head bok choy, cut crosswise into 2" pieces

Directions:

1. Combine the onions, garlic, and jalepeno in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat.

2. Add the beef to the vegetables.

3. Whisk the hoisin sauce, rice wine, soy sauce, brown sugar and 1/3 c. warm water in a small bowl. Pour over the meat.

4. Cover and cook on low for 7 1/2 hours.

5. 30 minutes before it's done, add the bok choy to the crockpot. Increase the heat to high and cook until the bok choy wilts. 

6. Serve with brown rice.

NOTE: This is one of those easy prep the night before kind of dinners. I've never been a fan of crockpot meals that require you to pre-cook some of the components. What good is a crockpot if it still requires cooking?! To prep this the night before, cut the veggies and throw them and the flour  in a tupperware. Mix the sauce in another tupperware and put them in the fridge to make in the morning.