Try canned diced tomatos.
One can find a recipe for beef stew in the cookbook that one received when the slow cooker was purchased. The Martha Stewart website also has a recipe for slow cooker beef stew.
Just about every recipe website on the web will have slow cooker recipes. Some good recipe websites to check out are allrecipes.com and cookinglight.com. You will find well over 100 slow cooker recipes between those two sites alone.
Not usually, because the slow cooker cooks for so long to begin with.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Beef-Stew-I/Detail.aspx has a detailed and well explained slow cooker beef stew recipe. It is neatly organized which makes it very easy to follow. The best part is that it gives you the calorie count, the total fat and the cholesteral of what you're eating.
You can use a slow cooker with either frozen or defrosted meat. The recipe should state which you use or the cooking time and temperature will have to be adjusted. Frozen meatballs are excellent in a slow cooker.
You can find a slow cooker recipe for Italian Beef online at websites such as All Recipes and Southern Food. You can also locate a recipe by purchasing a Crock-Pot cooking book at your local Barnes & Noble.
There are many websites out there where you can find slow cooker recipes. I don't have a favourite website in particular. You may be able to find one on allrecipies.com
There are many cooking blogs and mom boards that contain a ton of easy slow cooker beef stew recipes.
A delicious slow cooker goulash recipe includes beef, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, paprika, and garlic. Brown the beef, then add all ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over noodles or rice for a hearty meal.
You can find good recipes for chilli in your crockpot at the following websites...allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-chili-ii/ or crockpot365.blogspot.com/.../21-ingredient-chili-slow-cooker-recipe...
The amount of water you put in a slow cooker depends on the recipe you are following. It is typically recommended to fill the slow cooker about two-thirds full with liquid, such as water or broth, to ensure that the ingredients cook properly and do not dry out.
There are several books available for the rival slow cooker. Rival Crock Pot: 3 Books in 1: Slow Cooker Favorites/Winning Slow Cooker Recipes is probably the biggest one out there. Another great one that is available is the Rival New Creative Crock-pot/slow Cooker Cookbook