Curried Beef and Lentil Stew

CURRIED BEEF AND LENTIL STEW

It's been a while. Things have been so hectic around the house and work has been keeping me busy. Weight Watchers is going great! I'm sooo close to goal! YAY!

Anyway, on to the recipe. This is another Cooking Light recipe. This was a great weeknight dinner. The flavor was great and it was super easy to put together.

CURRIED LAMB AND LENTIL STEW

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds lean boned leg of lamb (I used beef stew meat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3/4 cup lentils
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
3 1/2 cups chopped collards or spinach (1/4 pound) (I omitted)
1/2 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Cilantro sprigs (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Trim fat from lamb, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Set lamb aside.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion, celery, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add lamb; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Add curry, cumin, and pepper; stir well to coat. Add broth, lentils, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add greens and carrot; simmer 10 minutes or until lamb is tender. Remove from heat; stir in chopped cilantro. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Note: The purchase weight of lamb is 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds to equal 1 pound, trimmed.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 309 (26% from fat), Fat: 8.8g (sat 2.2g,mono 3.9g,poly 0.9g), Protein: 33.7g, Carbohydrate: 25g, Fiber: 5.7g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Iron: 6.9mg, Sodium: 311mg, Calcium:
115mg

**NUTRITIONAL INFO IS FOR THE ORIGINAL RECIPE AND DOES NOT INCLUDE MY CHANGES**

Chicken Stew with White Beans and Spinach

CHICKEN STEW WITH WHITE BEANS AND SPINACH

This is my most favorite, favorite stew. I have already made it so many times. I have no idea why I haven't blogged about it yet. I mean, it's one of my favorite weeknight dishes.

Anyway, credit goes to Elly for this recipe. It's one of her many recipes that have gotten rave reviews in my house. This recipe was so good that Matt was mad that I didn't double it. Be sure to check out Elly's blog for more fabulous dishes. She's got tons of them!!!

I follow this recipe exactly most of the time. However, sometimes I can't find chicken thighs in the grocery store, so I use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead. Either work great. I usually cut the chicken up in chunks too.

CHICKEN STEW WITH WHITE BEANS AND SPINACH
(Elly - Elly Says Opa)

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 slices bacon, chopped
4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skinless
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. oregano
1 can cannellini or other white beans, drained
2 cups fresh spinach
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saute pan with lid, cook the bacon until it has rendered its fat. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off the bacon fat until about 1 Tbsp. remains in the pan.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and sear it in the bacon fat, to brown, on both sides. Remove from pan.

Add the onions and cook until tender. Stir in the garlic and once the garlic becomes fragrant, stir in the tomato paste. Cook approximately one minute.

Add the wine to the pan to deglaze. Cook for about 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken back in the pan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash about 1/3 of the can of beans with a fork or the back of a wooden spoon--not into a paste, but just breaking up some of the beans (this will make the texture of the final product better). After the chicken has simmered 15 minutes, add the whole beans and the mashed beans into the pan. Cover, simmering an additional 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Add back in the bacon and the spinach. Cook just until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.

Nutritional Information per serving (for 2 servings; based on sparkrecipes.com): Calories: 490 / Fat: 10.9g / Saturated Fat: 3.2g / Carbs: 44.7g / Dietary Fiber: 10.1g / Protein: 44.5g

(We can usually get 3-4 servings out of this, so adjust the nutritional information accordingly)