His Beef Stew Good for You

Winter brings cravings for comfort food — hearty casseroles and heavy stews that make us feel warm from the inside-out against the cold weather.

The problem is, most comfort food doesn't score high marks in the "healthy" column. In fact, many recipes are packed with calories, fat and salt.

It is possible to eat hearty and healthy. But before you start tampering with recipes, consider portion size.

For example, a half-cup of macaroni and cheese or mashed potatoes won't ruin a healthful diet. But if you can't stop with just a little, think about ways to modify the formula.

First, add vegetables. More vegetables mean more nutrition without added fat. Toss broccoli or peas into macaroni and cheese; stir canned pumpkin or diced carrots into sloppy joes; add cabbage, tomatoes or just about any other vegetable to potpie filling.

Next, consider replacing some or all of the cream in a recipe with low-fat milk. With mashed potatoes, milk will still give you creamy results without the heaviness of cream. A pat of butter — not a stick — adds richness.

Reduced-fat cheese works fine as a replacement for some of the cheese in comfort-food recipes. But beware that some low-fat cheeses don't melt as well as their full-fat counterparts.

Finally, reach for herbs instead of the salt shaker. Dried or fresh, herbs add tons of flavor without increasing the sodium content of recipes.

Today's recipe is for beef stew in which I cut the amount of beef while significantly increasing the amount and type of vegetables. It ends up with fewer calories, less fat and more fiber than a traditional stew recipe but with plenty of soul-warming comfort.

robin.davis@dispatch.com

BETTER-FOR-YOU BEEF STEW

Makes 6 servings

The key to making this comfort food better for you is using more vegetables and less meat. It's still hearty and rich but also packed with fiber, vitamin A and beta carotene. Make this on the weekend and enjoy it through the week.

• 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cubed
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 5 cups canned low-salt beef broth
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 rutabagas, peeled, cubed
• 3 carrots, diced
• 3 parsnips, peeled, diced
• 1 cup frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a heavy, large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add beef to the pot. Cook without stirring until beef is dark brown and easy to release from the pan. Then stir and continue cooking until all sides are seared, about 8 to 10 minutes total.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a plate. Repeat with remaining beef. (If bottom of pan gets too dark, add a little water or broth to stir up the browned bits and pour over the beef that's been cooked and continue.)

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining teaspoon oil to pot. Add onions and celery. Cook until the onions begin to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and flour. Cook 1 minute.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add broth. Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the meat, any accumulated juices, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer.

Cover pot. Place in oven. Cook 1 hour. Stir in rutabagas. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer. Stir in carrots and parsnips. Cover and cook another 30 minutes. Uncover and cook until the meat is fork-tender and the vegetables cooked through. Remove from oven.

Add peas to pot. Remove bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

PER SERVING: 352 calories; 33 g protein; 37 g carbohydrates; 10 g fiber; 8 g fat (3 g saturated); 61 mg cholesterol; 216 mg sodium

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Source: https://www.dispatch.com/story/lifestyle/food/2012/01/29/eat-smart-beef-stew-can/23778537007/#:~:text=BETTER%2DFOR%2DYOU%20BEEF%20STEW&text=The%20key%20to%20making%20this,vitamin%20A%20and%20beta%20carotene.

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