Deer Meat Crock-pot Picadillo

Hi everyone!  Any deer meat fans? I hope so.  My brother-in-law graciously shared his deer meat with us this year and we have been thoroughly enjoying it!  I prefer deer meat over ground turkey or beef, when it's available.  It's very lean and healthy.  I will say though, if substituting it for regular ground beef you must make sure to season it a bit extra because it can come across as a bit bland if not.  That's not the case with this recipe though!

Crock-pot Picadillo (with deer meat)

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground deer meat (or beef or turkey)
1 onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, minced
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tomato, diced
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup green olives (plus a tablespoon or two of the juice)
1 and 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Salt/Pepper to taste (I used a pre-made sea salt/vegetable mix from the store that was delicious!  It helped season the deer meat well)

*I served this over white rice (a treat! We usually have brown).  You will also want to prepare however much rice is appropriate for your family just before time to serve.

Directions:
1.)  Brown the meat in a large skillet and season with salt/pepper.  When meat is no longer pink add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.  (if using beef you will need to drain the liquid from the skillet before adding the veggies and garlic)

2.) Transfer the meat to the slow-cooker.  Next add the tomato, cilantro, tomato sauce, olives, and 1 1/4 cups water.  Last, add the spices and give the ingredients a good stir.

3.) Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.  Serve over brown rice!