Beef in Pomegranate Sauce

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds beef or buffalo roast or steak, fat trimmed if necessary
Sea salt
Light olive oil, as needed
1 onion, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
1 14-0z can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar- omit for yeast-free
1/8 cup pure maple syrup- or use agave to keep it lower glycemic
1/2 cup fresh cranberries or golden raisins
1 teaspoon dried French herb mix or Bouquet Garni
A small pinch of cinnamon

Directions:
I slow-cooked my recipe in a Crock-Pot because that's what works for me here at high altitude. You can follow suit and Crock Pot your little heart out. Or do it old-school style, in a heavy Dutch oven or soup pot.

Salt the beef on all sides. Wait a few minutes. Kiss the cook. Get your Crock Pot situated and turned on to High.

Heat a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef on all sides to sear in the flavor, using long tongs to turn the pieces. This doesn't take but maybe five minutes, or so. Remove the beef and set aside.

Add a small dash of olive oil to the Crock Pot. Add in sliced onion and garlic. Stir to coat with the olive oil. Place the beef on top.

Pour in the pomegranate juice, crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Stir to combine. Add the cranberries or raisins, dried herbs, a pinch of cinnamon, sea salt and ground pepper.

Stir a little bit to co-mingle ingredients.

Cover and let the magic happen- about 4 to 5 hours.

Taste test the sauce for seasoning adjustments. My intuitive combo was the perfect balance of tart and savory with a hint of sweetness.

We served ours with a generous mound of whipped mashed potatoes. Heaven. Seriously.

Serves 4.

This is a great recipe to use up the pomegranate juice from the previous recipe and also very yummy! I did use my crockpot for this one also. I dont really have time to do it in the dutch oven. I used the fresh cranberries which aren't too hard to find this time of year. It is also from the blog http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com French herb mix is also known as herbs de provence and is made by McCormick Gourmet Collection Blends if you are having problems finding it like I did. Very tender and juicy.