Belly Bytes  

This recipe adds richness to your stew while "secretly" boosting the vegetables in it. By removing the first set of vegetables halfway through the cooking process, blending them, pouring them back as sauce, and adding new cut-up vegetables, you are doubling your vegetable servings and adding lots of flavor and texture to the final stew.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound lean beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups low fat, low sodium beef broth, plus more as needed
2 medium onions
2 stalks celery
2 medium potatoes
2 medium turnips
4 carrots
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

In a plastic bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add meat and shake to coat. Heat oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add meat and brown. Prepare the vegetables by cutting one onion, two celery stalks, one potato, one turnip and two carrots into large chunks. Add the vegetables to the meat along with the garlic and thyme. Stir in broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 40 minutes or until meat is tender.

While meat is cooking, prepare remaining vegetables by cutting the onion, celery, potato, turnip and carrot into 1 inch cubes. Remove simmered vegetables (onion, celery, potatoes, turnips, carrots) and whiz in a blender until smooth.

Return vegetable puree to pot. Thin with beef broth or water, if necessary. To pot add remaining un-cooked onions, celery, potato, turnips, and carrots. Bring to simmer and cover. Cook for an additional 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add parsley just before serving.

Recipe makes six servings Double-the-Serving Stew.

This is an official 5 a Day recipe, and provides six people with 2-1/2 servings of vegetables each.

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