Gardening, Day 2

More Southwestern food for the end of day two. The garden is now tilled and weed killer and organic material is in place. I have ordered all my plants too...four cucumber plants, six tomato plants, twelve pepper varieties, twenty-five strawberries, six raspberries and twelve herbs. Can't WAIT.

Southwestern Pot Roast

2 1/2 lb top round roast
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 c cabernet sauvignon wine
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
5 tomatillos, halved and quartered
3 red bell peppers, cut into small pieces
1 large yellow onion, sliced or cut into small pieces
1 green serrano pepper, diced into small pieces
2 large potatoes, unpeeled, washed and diced
8 oz can of Mexican tomatoes (I used classic Rotel)
kosher salt
coarsely ground black pepper

Rub roast with salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet and brown roast on all sides. Place all other ingredients in cooker and place roast on top of vegetables. Cook in large slow cooker (at least a 5 quart) for 9-10 hours on low. Serve by slicing roast and spooning sauce and vegetables over meat.

What I liked about this dish: It has an incredible peppery Mexican smell as it cooks.
What I disliked about this dish: It just barely fit into my larger slow cooker. The top of the roast is about a half inch below the lid. I had to really move the vegetables around to make enough room for everything.
Cool kitchen gadgets used: My santoku knives (I have three) are fantastic for prepping the veggies.
Tastiness factor: Very good and spicy, but not too bad. Great paired with Spanish rice. The meat was falling off the fork tender.

Oatmeal Pancakes

1 1/2 c whole oats
2 c milk
1 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c canola or vegetable oil

Mix together milk and oats and let stand. Whisk together dry ingredients. Stir eggs into oat mixture and then add wet mixture to dry ingredients along with oil and whisk. Drop onto greased griddle in 1/4 c amounts and flip when edges bubble. Cook on both sides until pancakes are golden.

What I liked about this recipe: Very, very filling thanks to the oatmeal. Oatmeal is a very complex carbohydrate and fibrous too so this is an excellent breakfast to get you going when you are doing something strenuous, such as gardening.
What I disliked about this recipe: The pancakes took a little bit too long to cook in my opinion.
Cool kitchen gadgets used: Whisk was very handy for this recipe. However, now I want a long griddle that you can put over two burners. My large skillet only accomodated two pancakes at a time and it took probably 20-25 minutes to make all the batter.
Tastiness factor: Great taste. Not too sweet. Very different from regular pancakes and a little more nutritious due to the oats. I served it with maple syrup and the apples from a few days ago and fresh orange juice and it was a hit.