Recipes

There is something extremely comforting about beef stew on a cold night, and after having a not so healthy version while skiing over the holiday, I was inspired to create a healthy version as soon as I got home.  Beef stew is very simple to make even though it looks like lots of ingredients.  Also it could easily be made in the slow cooker as well – just brown up the beef and dump everything in the slow cooker, adding the potatoes, carrots, and parsnips about an hour before it’s done.  For this version, I used carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, and parsnips, but you could use almost any combination of root vegetables – next time I may try adding celery root and maybe some sweet potatoes or butternut squash.

Weight Watchers Beef Stew
Points: 5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus
Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1 cup
Nutritional Info: 243.8 calories, 7 g of fat, 16 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, 29 g of protein

Ingredients
1.5 lbs lean stewing beef, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 lb chopped carrots (2-3)
1/2 lb chopped parsnips (2-3)
1 pound chopped red potatoes, with skins
3 chopped celery ribs
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
3 cloves of  garlic, 2 peeled whole cloves and 1 finely diced clove
2 bay leaves
1.5 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups fat free beef broth (you could eliminate or reduce this depending on how thick you want your beef stew)
Optional – 1 sprig of rosemary and thyme in a cheesecloth

Instructions
1.  Heat vegetable oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add beef and brown on all sides.

2.  Add in water, onions, garlic, smoked paprika, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, allspice, salt, pepper, sugar, and rosemary and thyme bundle (if using) to the beef.  Cover and simmer for 90 minutes.

3.  Add potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and celery to pot, as well as any additional beef broth you are using.  Cook for an additional 45-60 minutes or until the beef is fork tender and shreds easily.  The cooking time will vary depending on the cut and size of your beef.

4.  Mix the cornstarch with a small amount of cold water and stir together.  Pour into the stew and bring to a boil.  Immediately turn off the heat and let rest before serving.  The cornstarch will thicken the stew.

Tip: These beef stew tastes even better after it has rested for a day or two, so consider making it a couple of days before you hope to eat it.   It also freezes well and can be stored to eat for lunch or a meal later on in the week or month.