One Pot Cooking

I love this recipe because it’s a complete meal in one pot with easy clean up.  I picked up many of the fresh ingredients at our local farmer’s market.  The butcher even sells the stew beef already cut into the perfect size cubes trimmed of all the fat! 

When I brown the beef, I make sure I don’t crowd the cubes in the pan to be sure they get nicely browned.  If there are too many cubes in the pan at one time the beef will steam rather than brown.  Covering the stew with a tight fitting lid while cooking over low heat keeps the moisture in and allows the mixture to cook without stirring.  However, the stew liquid may thin down a bit during this time.  So I uncover the stew for the last period of cooking to allow some of the liquid to evaporate and thicken up the stew. 

Don’t worry if you have leftovers….the flavor gets even better the next day!  Smart meals are great meals!

French Onion Beef Stew

Makes 8 servings

¼ cup all purpose flour

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 pounds beef round, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can (10 ½ ounces) condensed French onion soup

1 ½ cups dry red wine

1 pound small new potatoes, halved

6 carrots, peeled and diagonally sliced 1-inch thick

1 package (10 to 12 ounces) baby bella mushrooms, halved

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed

1.      Mix flour and pepper in resealable plastic bag.  Add beef cubes and seal bag.  Shake the bag to evenly coat the beef cubes with the seasoned flour.

2.      Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Brown the coated beef cubes in 2 batches in the hot oil. 

3.      Return all the beef cubes to pot with the soup, wine, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, garlic powder, thyme and rosemary, stirring to blend.  Heat to a boil.

4.      Reduce the heat to low and cover.  Cook for 1 hour.  Remove the cover and cook 15 minutes more or until beef and vegetables are tender and gravy thickens. 

Nutrition Information per serving: 341 calories, 10 g. total fat, 4 g. saturated fat, 77 mg. cholesterol, 491 mg. sodium, 17 g. carbohydrate, 3 g. dietary fiber, 4 g. sugar, 28 g. protein

Low Country Cooking

One of the highlights of a recent vacation in Charleston, South Carolina was having the opportunity to sample the area’s traditional dishes in many of the great downtown restaurants.  Grits is a common item found on breakfast menus in the south, however, I particularly enjoyed the popular shrimp dish, Shrimp ‘n’ Grits.  So much so, we tried it at several restaurants over the course of the week and noticed each chef put their own spin on the dish.   My favorite was at Southend Brewery & Smokehouse.  The savory sautéed shrimp and Tasso ham sat atop rich creamy grits.  When I got home I was determined to make my own ‘better-for-you’ take on the dish.  I was able to bring the fat down but keep the creamy richness in the grits by using fat free half & half.  There is usually ham, bacon or sausage sautéed with the shrimp, however I opted to leave it out to save on some of the sodium and fat.  I was able to infuse some smoky flavor into the dish by adding smoked paprika.  The dish comes together pretty quickly, so it's perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Creamy Shrimp ‘n’ Grits

Makes 4 servings

2 cups fat free half and half

2 cups reduced fat milk

1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 cup stone ground white or yellow grits

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch strips

1 package (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

6 green onions, diagonally sliced (about 1 cup)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1.   Heat half and half, milk and black pepper to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.  Stir in grits and return mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and stir in butter.

2.   While grits are cooking, heat oil in large skillet.  Add red pepper, mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until tender. 

3.   Add shrimp, green onions and paprika.  Cook for 3 minutes or until shrimp are pink.  Serve shrimp over grits.

Nutrition Information per serving: 365 calories, 11 g. total fat, 4 g. saturated fat, 240 mg. cholesterol, 684 mg. sodium, 29 g. carbohydrate, 3 g. dietary fiber, 18 g. sugar, 32 g. protein