Beef and Vegetable Stew

So this is a must make! I found this recipe a few years back when I was on weight watchers and it is by far the best beef stew recipe I have ever made. No starches, full of flavor and perfect on a cold winter night. You don't even feel guilty about having a slice of fresh sourdough bread along side because there are no starches in the dish. This dish serves for and is only 6 weight watchers points plus. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
16 oz lean beef (stew meat), cubed
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1 medium parsnip, peeled and chopped
1.5 cups low sodium beef broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 sprig of fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
5 oz frozen peas

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat a medium non-stick dutch oven over medium high heat and add beef. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes and stir constantly.

2. Stir in carrots, celery, onions, parsnip; cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Lay both herb sprigs on top and cover.

3. Place covered dish in the oven and bake until veggies are fork tender, about 1.5 hours. Remove herb sprigs and stir in peas and bake until heated through about 15 more minutes. Yields about 1.5 cups per serving.

Chicken and Dumplings

                            So this recipe was definitely good, but I would like to point out you must start this recipe THE NIGHT BEFORE! My plan to cook this for dinner changed when I saw the time involved, and so I cooked it through step 2 and then finished it the next night. If you are not counting calories or you can afford extra ones then you may not need to cool and skim the solidified fat from the top. This is from Cooking Light and serves 8, with 258 calories per serving. Definitely a tasty dish on a cold winter night. It is very similar to chicken soup, just with dumplings on top. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 (4-pound) whole chicken

10 cup water

4 cups unsalted chicken stock

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped (about 6 ounces)

2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 5 ounces)

2 bay leaves

1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges (about 10 ounces)

1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 2 ounces)

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons nonfat buttermilk

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Directions:

             1. Remove giblets and neck from chicken; trim excess fat. Place chicken, 10 cups water, and next 7 ingredients (through parsley bunch) in an 8-quart stockpot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 1 hour, skimming foam from the surface as necessary. Remove from heat, and let stand for 20 minutes.

             2. Remove skin from chicken; remove chicken from bones, discarding skin and bones. Shred chicken with 2 forks. Cool stock and chicken to room temperature. Cover and chill stock and chicken separately for 8 to 24 hours. Skim solidified fat from surface of stock; discard fat. Reserve 8 cups stock and chicken. Refrigerate remaining stock in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

             3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and ground pepper; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in 8 cups reserved stock and chicken. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

             4. Weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces flour (about 1 cup) into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring with a whisk. Cut in remaining 2 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring until moist.

5. Drop dough in 24 portions (about 1 teaspoon each) into stock mixture. Cover and cook 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, and ladle into shallow bowls.

10-Layer Slow Cooker Dish

I am now experimenting with one crock pot recipe per week. We attend church on Saturdays at 5:30pm and so by the time mass is over, we load back up in the car and get home it is close to 7pm. At that point dinner needs to be ready and yummy. I figure with winter approaching quickly comfortable meals from the crock pot are just what we need. Here is my first one…where I have parsnips the recipe actually calls for potatoes, but I try to limit our starches. The parsnips at such a flair to this recipe, but I do think it needs a bit more…maybe some thyme next time :)

Ingredients:

6 medium parsnip, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

15 oz corn

15 oz peas

1/4 cup water

1.5 pounds of lean ground beef, browned

10 3/4 oz can  of cream of broccoli soup

Directions:

1. Layer 1: 1/4 of parsnips, 1/2 onion, salt and pepper

2. Layer 2: 1/2 corn

3. Layer 3: 1/4 parsnips

4. Layer 4: 1/2 peas

5. Layer 5: 1/4 parsnips, 1/2 onion, salt and pepper

6. Layer 6: remainder of corn

7. Layer 7: remainder of parsnips

8. Layer 8: remainder of peas

9. Layer 9: ground beef

10. Layer 10: soup

11. Cover. Cook on high for 4 hours. Enjoy!

Penne with Herbs, Tomatoes and Peas

So behind on my posts and I am so sorry for that. Here is another meatless dish that came out fantastic. The kids loved it except for the tomatoes; I bought an assortment of baby cherry tomatoes so there was a ton of flavor and color. From my trusty subscription to Cooking Light, which I just renewed for 2 more years, this dish serves 4 and has about 381 calories. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
8 oz uncooked penne
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves
3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
3 TBS dried parsley
1 oz fresh Parmesean cheese, shaved

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to directions, omit fat and salt. Add peas during the last 2 minutes and then drain.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Add oil, swirl to coat. Add garlic and cook about 4 minutes or until it begins to brown, stir occasionally. Increase heat to medium high. Add tomatoes and cook one minute. Add pasta mixture, salt and pepper and stir until heated.

3. Stir in basil and parsley. Sprinkle with cheese.