Friday's Fave Foods (On Sunday!)***Beef Stew

I got so pre-occupied with work and life this week, I neglected my blog. Here my 'make-up' assignment!
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This time of year, nothing is better to me than hearty one pot dishes. Of course, we need the slimmed down version for our purposes, so after perusing one of my many Weight Watcher's cookbook, I found the right one!

Beef Stew
(makes 4 servings)

4 tsp. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 TBSP finely chopped carrot
1 TBSP finely chopped celery
1 lb beef round, chopped into 1& 1/2" cubes
1 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. of dried
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
8 frozen pearl onions
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
4 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 cup hot water
1 cup of thawed frozen peas
1 TBSP of finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 TBSP of finely chopped fresh oregano or marjoram

1.) In a medium non-stick Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan, heat the oil. Saute' the finely chopped carrot, celery, and shallot until translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add the beef and saute' until browned, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the hear and simmer gently, partially covered, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
2.) Add the pearl onions, carrot chunks, potatoes, and water. Cook, covered, 40 minutes.
3.) Stir in peas, wait four minutes and add parsley and oregano and cook 1 minute longer. Discard the bay leaf.

Per Serving: 1/4 of stew = 356 calories

Notes: Adaptable for the crock pot. Saute the finely chopped veggies and the cubed meat as directed, and transfer to the crock, and add the remaining ingredients, except for water, parsley and oregano. Cover and cook until the beef and veggies are tender, stir in herbs just before serving.


From: Weight Watcher's New Complete Cookbook