Pepper Steak (Slow Cooker)

When I was very young, I would occasionally get invited to spend the night with my grandma, who lived alone.  We had our rituals that I just cherished, even at a young age.  Every time that I went over to her house, my grandma, who didn't do much cooking by that time, would make me a Budget Gourmet dinner.  My absolute favorite variety was pepper steak, so my grandma was always sure to have some on hand.  I was amazed the first time my mom made it from scratch for me.  I love pepper steak to this day.  This delicious slow cooker version of the recipe from a Gooseberry Patch recipe book beats the pants off of any Budget Gourmet dinner, but still brings back every memory of my grandma and our special overnights every time I make it.


INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 - 2 lbs beef round steak, cut into strips
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 green peppers, sliced
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown beef strips in oil in a skillet.  Drain and transfer to a slow cooker (I used the circular, smaller of my two); set aside. 
2. Combine soy sauce, onion, garlic and seasonings; pour over beef strips.  Cover and cook on low setting for 5-6 hours, until tender. 
3. Add tomatoes and peppers; cover and heat for one additional hour.
4. Whisk water and cornstarch together; stir into slow cooker.  Increase to high setting; heat until thickened, about 15-30 minutes.  Serve over prepared rice.

Difficulty: Moderately easy.  (Some slow cooker recipes allow you to dump the ingredients in and leave it to cook while you are at work all day; this isn't one of those.)
Time: Total ~25-30 minutes prep (broken up over the course of cooking), 7-8 hours cook time
Source:  Gooseberry Patch Slow-Cooker Recipes (Copyright 2005)

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