Best. Stew. Ever.

This was my make-ahead lunch concoction for the week. Fully paleo-compliant, fully delicious! And maybe 15 minutes total prep time. I made it in a crockpot, but you could use the oven as well.

• 2-3 lbs sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes.
• 1 Tbs coconut oil (optional)
• 1 large onion, sliced into thin rings
• 1 small to medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1/2″ pieces ( Or just use half of a package of the precut butternut from Costco. I love that stuff. So convenient! )
• 3 large yams, cubed into 1/2″ pieces. I find the skins on Garnet yams too bitter, so if that’s what I’ve got, I peel ‘em. If you use regular yams or yellow sweet potatoes, feel free to keep the skins on.
• 8 oz coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen brand, but any brand’s fine as long as it’s from a can, okay? Not that sugared-up, watered-down crap they sell next to the soy milk in the dairy cooler.)
• 4 oz red wine
• 8 oz beef stock (or chicken or vegetable stock if that’s all you’ve got handy)
• 2 Tbs fresh minced garlic
• 2 Tbs each: dried cilantro, basil, ground black pepper, salt

Heat a nonstick skillet nice and hot. Depending on exactly how “non-stick” your skillet actually is, feel free to drop in a spoonful of coconut oil in once the pan is hot. Or you can skip it…up to you.

Chop the steak into bite-sized cubes, sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt and black pepper, and add to the skillet. Stir it around quickly for about a minute. Our goal here isn’t to cook the  steak, just to get a nice sear on the outside. When that’s done, dump into a crockpot, or into a Dutch oven or covered saute pan if you’re gonna use your oven.

Add the wine, stock, onion, garlic and dried spices to the pot, give it a quick stir, and cook on low for about 3 hours. If you’re using the oven, set if for 325, and cook for about an hour.

After that time is up, stir in the squash, yams and coconut milk. Another 3 hours in the crockpot, or another hour – 90 minutes in the oven. Check to make sure a piece of yam is tender, and you’re good to go. Enjoy!

beef stew

2 1/2 pounds top sirloin, trim off all visible fat, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 T balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
2 T oat flour
2 medium onions, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
5 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 cup red wine
6 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 t cracked black pepper
1 t salt

Crock Pot Version:
Add ingredients to crock pot in this order: olive oil, beef, tomato paste, vinegar. Sprinkle flour all over the top, then add the veggies, garlic, bay leaves and wine. Cook on high for about 5 hours, or low for about 8. If you’re not cooking it overnight, then give it a big stir once or twice during cooking. If you are cooking overnoght, don’t worry about it.

Oven Version:
Heat oven to 350. Use a dutch oven or saute pan with a lid. Over high heat, add the olive oil, beef, and a pinch of the salt and pepper. Stir beef continuously until browned (about 5 minutes). Add all other ingredients, along with 3 cups of water or stock. Stir and bring to boil. Put on the lid, and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Serves 10 @ 330 calories
10 g fat (28%)
30 g carbs (41%)
23 g protein (31%)

image credit: flikr user thebittenword