Beef Stew is Good for the Soul

        Coming home from classes after walking through what "feels like" -20 degrees due to windchill to and from classes (and that is not my own made up estimate...that is what the weather actually stated...ugh!) there is nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING that is better than a crock pot waiting on the counter with a steaming bunch of beef stew with tender meat, soft veggies and a flavorful broth that warms you right up....if only my little apartment had a fireplace, then this would seriously be the greatest thing ever. It's a cheap (stew meat isn't expensive because it isn't from a tender cut, but if it is slow cooked in a liquid, it will have great texture! The more tender, well marbled meats actually become chewy in stews because the fats melt away in the soup) and hearty meal that packs a bunch of nutrients, especially with the addition of sweet potatoes, and it tastes great. What could be better? It requires little preparation, throw it in the crockpot before class, and stick the leftovers in the fridge for tomorrow's chilly afternoon!

(I guess chilly is an understatement....you can see now, hot soup is basically necessary for survival up here!!)

This is a really simple recipe with traditional flavors, it is sure to please!

         The sweet potatoes get very soft in the soup, and because I accidentally left the warmer of the crockpot on for an extra few hours (woops) they basically disintegrated into the broth, which was surprisingly nice because it thickened it and added flavor to every bite! Even if they didn't stay in whole chunks in the stew, I personally would not omit them because they are so healthy for you (and cheap too!)

         I used baby carrots also, it was just so easy to cut them once or twice in half, and saved some time not having to peel...maybe I was a little bit lazy 

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds cubed stew meat

1/2 cup flour

tsp salt

tsp pepper

2 tsp minced garlic

1 Tsbp olive oil

1 onion, chopped fine

2 Tbsp dried parsley

2 tsp dried thyme

4 cups beef broth

2 medium potatoes, diced

1 sweet potato, diced

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cup carrots chopped

Directions: 

Mix flour, salt and pepper in bowl or large ziplock bag. Dredge the meat in the mixture and heat oil in pan over medium heat. Shake excess flour off of meat and add to the pan with garlic, browning but not cooking through. Add in onions and transfer mixture into crockpot. Add parsley, thyme and broth and cook for 1 1/2 hours on low heat, stirring occasionally. 

Add the rest of the chopped veggies, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 50 minutes. 

**TIP: If you don't have a crockpot, still follow the directions exactly, just cook meat in a large dutch oven and cook over the stove

**TIP: The meat will seem tough until the connective tissue (collagen) has broken down, so if it has been a couple hours and the meat isn't falling-apart tender yet, don't worry. Keep cooking it on low and be patient and give time for it to break down! :)