I will start off by saying that today’s crock pot favorites recipe is not the prettiest of crock pot meals, but it was easy and delicious. So many foods just don’t photograph well and if I waited to share only the ones that looked the best, you all would have missed recipes like my mexican pork chops, oven fried pork chops, slow cooked tamale casserole, and others.
That plate really is the plate of food I ate for dinner recently. That is just how it looked minutes before I enjoyed it. Presentation is important, but so is keeping it real. Round steak cooked for hours in the crock pot might taste delicious, but it is not pretty.
When it comes to food though taste is what matters. I don’t care how good something looks, if it tastes bad no one will eat it.
I would love to hear your thoughts on that. Is taste or presentation more important? I know the goal is to have both taste and presentation, but that is not always possible. So what is more important in your family?
And a perfect side dish for this Mexican Round Steak is Easy Mexican Rice.
Slow Cooked Mexican Round Steak
An easy inexpensive gluten free slow cooked dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds round steak
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups salsa
- 1- 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese for serving
- sour cream, additional salsa, and tortillas for serving
Instructions
- Trip any excess fat off of the round steak and place in a slow cooker.
- Mix together corn, onion, salsa, and beans and pour over meat.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
- Cut meat into chunks or shred and serve with tortillas, cheese, and other additional toppings.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 419Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 889mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 6gSugar: 4gProtein: 45g
Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.
I really only care how it tastes. I can typically tell from an ingredient list if a recipe is going to appeal to my family or not and that’s more important to me than the photo. If I’m totally honest, I really dislike the trend of fancy font labelled photos showing ingredients pouring out of jars and what-not. This is not my reality and doesn’t impress me, either. I’ve always loved your recipes and I’d much, much, much rather you spend your time sharing them rather than fussing with perfect photo-ops! 🙂
Thanks, I try to keep it real. With real food and real photos. Real life and feeding a family is nothing like what it looks like in a magazine!
Taste! I always say that my food never looks pretty, but it always tastes good. 🙂
Taste!! Often something (usually cooked in the crockpot) will fall completely apart when served; as long as it tastes good, who cares? 😀
Ditto the other comments! I do like to see a picture of a meal, particularly if it’s unique, just so I know when I finish making mine that I’ve done things right, but I never judge what the photo looks like… I just want the meal to taste good. Sometimes I hesitate to have people over because I’m more focused on taste than on presentation and I’m afraid they won’t think it looks pretty enough… and then it occurs to me that if they truly CARE what the food I’m serving them looks like, they can be invited to someone else’s house 🙂
Hands down taste. I have been known to make things that may you go hmmm..but then they gobble it up!
BTW I really enjoy your dishes and yours are the ones I try the most in our family. We are a family of 7 and unfortunately I was not taught to cook so i am trying my best and your dishes have helped 🙂
I think tastes matters most, but if I serve something to my kids that looks unappealing they will immediately turn their noses up at it and say they don’t like it. So I think it’s important to have the presentation of the food look nice, to an extent.
Do you think this would work with any sort if a roast?
Yes, I think the flavors would work well for other roasts/meat as well.
How long would you put in a pressure cooker /instant pot?
And taste is more important.
I have not tried it in the Instant Pot.