Cuban Braised Beef and Peppers

The sight of this on my counter makes me so happy sometimes.  When I see it sitting there all lonely I know that I will be eating a warm, hopefully yummy dinner.   It will involve little effort and a small amount of dishes.  Could you really ask for anything more?

Each week I try to find at least one crock pot dish to make mid-week.  Mid-week because around Wednesday or Thursday I am starting to get tired.  Also because these meals always have leftovers involved so a lunch is waiting the next day as well.  It is a wonderful thing.

This week I started drooling when I saw this recipe in my weekly email box from Real Simple.

Slow Cooker Cuban Braised Beef and Peppers
From Real Simple
Serves 4
Hands-on Time: 10m
Total Time: 4hr 30m

Ingredients

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds

1 cup long-grain white rice  (we served ours on tortillas)
1 avocado, sliced (they are so expensive right now, and I couldn't find a good one)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (yuck, I don't like cilantro)

Directions:
1. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.

2. Using two forks shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with the rice and top with the avocado and cilantro.

It was good and we have enough for a whole other meal.  The flavor is good but could use a bit more spice if you like things hot.  The recipe definitely moved to the "keeper" file.  I love that you could have this with rice, tortillas, chips and even over salad.