Crockpot recipes as requested by Lisa

Lisa just got a new crockpot and wanted some recipes. Here's the stuffed flank steak recipe which I tried a few weeks ago (delicious!) and a southwestern chicken soup which I'll be trying soon. I got these recipes out of the Sacramento Bee.

Stuffed flank steak
Prep time: 10 minutes * Cook time: 8 to 10 hours * Serves 4

This recipe is simple but impressive. It's a great one to make when you expect company for dinner, but won't be home in time to do a lot of prep work. It is based on one from an old cookbook called "Crockery Cookery" by Mable Hoffmann.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups packaged bread stuffing
1 cup diced, fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 flank steak, 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
2 tablespoons salad oil
1 package brown gravy mix (to make 1 cup gravy)
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1/4 cup currant jelly

Instructions
1. Combine bread stuffing, mushrooms, broth, butter and cheese.
2. Unfold the flank steak and with a sharp knife, lightly score the steak on both sides, cutting diagonally across the grain. Spread the stuffing mixture over one side of the steak and roll it up like a jelly roll. Tie the steak closed with kitchen string or fasten it closed with skewers. Pour the oil into the slow cooker. Place the steak in the cooker and roll so that all sides are coated in the oil.
3. Prepare the gravy mix according to the package directions. Add the wine, onions and jelly to the gravy and whisk until the jelly is dissolved. Pour the gravy mixture over the flank steak.
4. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. To serve, remove the steak from the pot and slice it. Pour sauce over the meat before serving.

Per serving: 456 cal.; 25 g pro.; 32 g carb.; 23 g fat (10 sat., 8 monounsat., 5 polyunsat.); 67 mg chol.; 735 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 15 g sugar; 48 percent calories from fat.

Southwestern chicken soup
Prep time: 5 minutes * Cook time: 5 hours * Serves 10

This delicious main-course soup flavored with corn, tomatoes, red and green peppers and chicken breast strips is simple to make, thanks to several convenient canned items. Cumin, added at the end of the cooking time, gives the soup extra zip. The recipe is from "The Best Slow Cooker Cookbook Ever" by Natalie Haughton.

Ingredients
2 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced peeled tomatoes
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
1 16-ounce package frozen corn kernels, partially thawed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Seasoned salt

Instructions
1. In a 5-quart electric slow cooker, mix together the broth, tomatoes with their liquid, green chilies, corn, red and green peppers, onion, chicken strips and garlic pepper.
2. Cover and cook on the high setting 1 hour. Reduce the heat to the low setting and continue cooking 3 to 4 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Stir in the ground cumin and season with seasoned salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 132 cal.; 14 g pro.; 15 g carb.; 3 g fat (1 sat., 1 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 29 mg chol.; 531 mg sod.; 2 g fiber; 4 g sugar.