Hearty beef stew

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons whole wheat unbleached flour
  • 1 teaspoon each of rosemary, sage and thyme, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 ounces lean beef steak cut in three-quarter-inch cubes
  • 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 3 medium carrots, sliced half-inch thick
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced half-inch thick, with leaves
  • 1 medium potato in three-quarter-inch cubes
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 cup mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, low-sodium
  • ¼ cup nonfat milk
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

  1. Combine flour, rosemary, sage, thyme and pepper in a plastic bag. Add beef and shake to coat. Reserve any excess flour mixture.
  2. Heat oil in stew pot on medium heat and brown beef on all sides, about five minutes. Remove beef from pot.
  3. Deglaze pot with one-quarter cup of beef stock. Add carrots, onions, celery, potato, garlic, mushrooms and remainder of stock. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Return beef to pot with vegetables, add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are cooked, but still firm.
  5. Combine milk, reserved flour and cornstarch. Add mixture to pot and simmer until sauce thickens, about five minutes. Serve.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 319 calories, 26 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 5 g monounsaturated fat, 6 g fiber, 211 mg sodium, 56 mg cholesterol

Courtesy of the Well-Fed Heart