It’s that time of the week! Yes, it’s Sandra‘s Slow Cooking Thursday. I love this meme because it’s really gotten me using my Crock-Pot again, plus I’ve tried some new recipes. My recipe for this week is simmering as I type. I’m actually cooking it to have some healthy meals in the freezer. I hate when Drew or I need to take a meal to work, but we’re either too tired or lazy to make it. So I bought some small freezer containers (enough for one portion), and I’ll divide up my stew, freeze it, and have it handy for a quick meal. Just heat and eat! Easy, peasy. So here you go. Enjoy!
Zesty Beef & Bean Stew
1 lb lean beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans
1 can (16 oz.) black beans
1 can (14.5 oz) tomatoes with chiles (or 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1 small can diced chiles)
1 can (2.25 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained (I used a can slightly larger)
1.5 cups frozen corn
1 cup hot water
1 cup chopped onion
2 celery stalks, chopped
** 1 small zucchini, chopped
** 1 small yellow squash, chopped
1-2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 beef bouillon cubes, crumbled
1/4 tsp. salt
** I also add Adobo seasoning and Mexican seasoning
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
Shredded cheese, sour cream, scallions (optional)
In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 13 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until beef is tender. Stir in tomato sauce; cover and cook for 30 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, and scallions if desired. Yield: 10 servings
** Now, I’ve adapted this a little from the original recipe which doesn’t call for the squash and zucchini, and adds rice to the stew. If you want to add rice, add 2 Tbsp. uncooked long grain rice. Here is the nutrition information for the original recipe (which includes the rice and does not include the starred items in the ingredient list). So at least you have an idea.
Nutrition: 1 cup (using reduced-sodium bouillion, calculated without cheese and sour cream) = 209 cal; 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat); 28 mg cholesterol; 558 mg sodium; 28 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 17 g protein
Oh goodness, that sounds delicious 🙂 Can’t wait to try this one, nothing like a wonderful stew on a cold day 😉
[…] Also, Drew had a funny story earlier. I’m working tonight and he called and was looking for dinner ideas for the boys. I told him that Jake would eat the rest of the soup and to take a container of beef and bean stew out of the freezer for Noah. He warmed it up in the microwave and then set it on the counter. Meanwhile, he was getting something else ready and he turned around and saw that Noah had stepped on the bottom of the stove (you know, the drawer thing that electric stoves have), had somehow opened up the spice drawer which is right next to the stove, had gotten a spoon, and was eating the stew like that. He makes me crazy with his fearlessness! (Don’t worry, the stove was NOT hot.) But I guess he really does like that stew! He just couldn’t wait to eat it! […]