Slow Cooker Night

I really need to take more advantage of my slow cooker. Tonight I made Cuban Braised Beef and Peppers (from Real Simple's website). Deee-licious! And talk about easy...throw it all in the Crockpot and forget about it for the day! About 30 minutes before you want to eat, cook up some rice (I bet this would also be yummy over mashed potatoes) and a side of veggies or a salad and you're good to go! I'm betting the leftovers will be fantastic too. :-)

Ingredients

• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (regular or with diced green chiles), undrained
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (I used my Mom's home-dried ones!)
  
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
  
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds (or chuck roast, which is what I used)
  
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• lowfat sour cream
• Sriracha sauce, if you like it hot!
  

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. (I doubled the recipe and couldn't fit it all in my crockpot, so I made half the recipe on the stove in a heavy stockpot. Brown the beef in a bit of olive oil on med-high for a few seconds on each side, reduce to low and add all other ingredients and simmer over low heat for 2.5-3 hours.)
   
2. Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
3. Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with the rice and top with the avocado, sour cream, cilantro and Sriracha sauce, if desired.