Make It Monday: Slow-Cooker Market-Fresh Pot Roast

It's Make-It-Monday. Why save pot roast for Sunday? Put a boneless beef chuck in the slow cooker this morning and serve this classic meat-and-potatoes easy-to-make dish tonight.

Slow-cookers, namely Crock Pots, became popular in post-War 1950s. The small kitchen appliance enabled women to maintain some semblance of work-home balance, a feature that became increasingly attractive as women entered the American workforce. The appeal? It's "hands off" once you put the ingredients into the pot.

The Crock Pot's efficiency was a particular asset during the oil crisis of 1973, and the energy crisis of 1979 -- because Crock Pot pulled about the same little amount of energy as an incandescent lightbulb, far less than the electricity required to run a traditional electric oven for any substantial amount of time.

While women fell in love with the Crock Pot for the convenience, America fell in love with it for the money it saved.

At the 2014's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, alongside prototypes of new smart this and that from TVs to Audi headlights, device-maker Belkin announced its plan to extend its Internet-connected (home automation) WeMo product line to Jarden's small appliance lineup, including the Crock Pot. Cooking by remote might be a Wi-Fi innovation that extends to many food industry appliance in the future. Amazing.

Get out your slow cooker "Crock Pot" for this comfort food extravaganza. Not only do the potatoes and onions add flavor and a good source of vitamin C, but the meat provides iron and protein needed for good health.

Slow-Cooker Market-Fresh Pot Roast
Serves 8

1 lb. new potatoes
2 cups pearl onions, peeled
1 boneless beef chuck or blade roast (2 lb.)
1/2 cup KRAFT Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Place all ingredients, except parsley, in slow cooker; cover with lid. Slow cook on low, 8 to 9 hours (or on HIGH 6 to 7 hours).

Transfer meat to cutting board; cut across the grain into thin slices. Place on platter; surround with potatoes. Skim fat from sauce and discard fat. Serve with hot cooked baby carrots. Drizzle sauce over meat and vegetables. Top with parsley.

Nutritional Information (amount per serving)
Calories 210; Carbohydrates 15g; Cholesterol 50mg; Fiber 32; Sodium 210mg; Fat 2g; Protein 10g

* Source: Kraft, Cnet

Kraft Foods Group, Inc. is an American grocery manufacturing and processing conglomerate headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Northfield, Illinois. The company has its origin as National Dairy Products Corporation (National Dairy), formed on December 10, 1923, by Thomas H. McInnerney. The company's core businesses are in beverage, cheese, dairy foods, snack foods, and convenience foods.

Cholesterol is an essential substance for the body's normal function, but when cholesterol levels in the blood get too high, it becomes a silent killer that puts the body at risk for heart attack. There are two types of cholesterol. Good (HDL) and Bad (LDL). You want to know your limit before you eat another bite of food.