The weekend of the 21st, my mom came to visit!  My mom is responsible for most good things in my life, one of them being my introduction to the crock pot.  My crock pot has made the Specific Carbohydrates Diet about a 100 times easier both by cutting down the amount of time I have to babysit my oven and by creating massive amounts of left-overs.

Once I cut out potatoes and milk, I decided to recreate my favorite pot roast recipe by substituting different veggies and using plain old water.  It’s the easiest recipe ever but incredibly savory and flavorful.  The key is to get a truly great cut of meat and veggies that can stand up for themselves (best when organic and in season).  Also, Penzey’s spices makes a killer salt and pepper.

Pot Roast

6 salks celery

1 acorn nut squash

6 carrots

2 vidalia onions

2 lbs beef (best when grass fed and the actual pot roast cut)

1 tbls salt

1 tbls pepper

2 cups water

Chop up the veggies and put them in the crock pot.  I like to soften the squash first for easier chopping by cooking for 15 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.  Pour half the salt and pepper over veggies.  Put in meat.  Pour remaining s/p and 2 cups of water.  Slow cook in crock pot for 8 hours on the low setting.

It was it’s usual delicious, savory and filling self.  It also got me thinking.  Could I turn the simple pot roast into a beef pot pie by adding a crust?  This past week I tried with an almond flour and coconut flour crust.

While delicious, it crumbled the second our forks hit the crust.  My husband really liked it but while the taste was great, I missed the study wheat crusts of a year ago!  Still, it was a fun variation and worth trying to mix it up a bit.

Almond Flour “Pot Pie” Crust

3/4 cup almond flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 tbsp. butter

1/8 tsp. salt

1/3 cup coconut milk

Cook pot roast in slow cooker for 5 hours. (Note: I added 1/4 cup coconut milk and 1 TBSP almond flour to pot roast to help the broth thicken.)  Then place in large dish with cover and set aside.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients.  Cut in cold butter and stir.  Gradually mix in coconut milk.  Make into a ball and place between two pieces of parchment paper.  Roll into a thin crust.  Remove top parchment piece and lay crust face down on top of pot roast.  Remove second piece of parchment.  Cook for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Voila!