Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days...we were gone for a long weekend and to be honest, I didn't do so well on the natural eating front! For example, Friday night's dinner was a good old-fashioned Lenten fish fry, complete with curly fries, Cole slaw and green beans. Before we left for the weekend, I did make an easy and delicious dish in my crockpot, Beef and Broccoli. We paired with brown rice and store-bought egg drop soup, which was delicious on that cold and yucky night.

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli
1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips (I used strip steaks I found on sale and cut those into thin strips)
1 cup beef broth (I didn't have all-natural beef broth, so I just used water)
1/2 cup soy sauce (I found all-natural soy sauce at Whole Foods)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cooled sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
Fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired)
Hot cooked rice

Directions
1. Place beef in a crock pot.
2. In a small bowl, combine consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add to crock pot. Stir well to combine. (If your sauce is not thickening, try bringing your sauce to a boil on the stovetop with the corn starch mixture. Boil until your desired consistency is reached).
4. Add broccoli to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
5. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).
6. Serve over hot cooked rice.