Diabetic Beef Stew

Jenny Sanders's Note:

This is posted in response to a request for a stew that was low in fat, low in high-glycemic carbohydrates, and high in fibre. I think this fits the bill.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 medium onions
• 4 stalks celery or 1 small celery root , peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb lean stewing beef or 1 lb lean stewing lamb
• 2 cloves garlic (optional)
• 3 cups water or 3 cups fat-free broth
• ¼ cup barley
• 2 -3 bay leaves
• 2 cups peeled diced rutabagas (yellow turnip)
• 1 cup peeled diced turnip (optional)
• 1 medium carrot , peeled and diced
• 1 medium potato , peeled and diced
• 1 cup cleaned button mushroom
• 1 (19 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• salt
• 1 teaspoon savory
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Peel and chop the onions coarsely.
2. Chop the celery coarsely as well.
3. Peel and mince the garlic.
4. Saute the onions and celery until softened in the oil; remove them to a large stew pot.
5. Add the beef or lamb to the frying pan and cook until browned, stir in the garlic; then add the meat to the onions and celery.
6. Add the water or broth, the barley and the bay leaves to the stew pot.
7. Peel and chop all the remaining vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
8. Add them to the stew in the order given, then add the tomatoes and the spices.
9. Simmer the stew until the meat is done and the vegetables and barley are tender.
10. Add a little more water if needed.
11. This can be made ahead; stew keeps and reheats well.

Reviews

[NurseJaney]

Sauteed the veggies as directed, and threw everything in the crockpot -- no rutabagas nor turnips. Did add a tad of flour to the browning beef. Left it in the crockpot for 8 hours -- most on High. was tasty enough, but not outstanding. Thanks for posting, Jenny.

[Chef #640203]

Great stew, not just for diabetics or those on restricted diets. Everyone will enjoy this. Thanks for posting Jenny.

[Cook In Southwest]

This is an excellent basic stew recipe similar to my usual stew but with fewer potatoes. You won't miss the potatoes because of the turnip, rutabaga, and barley. I followed the recipe fairly closely with the exception of using 2 small cans of tomatoes instead of one large one. That made it a bit more tomatoey but still excellent. Also, because I was using left-over lamb roast, I waited until the veges were tender before adding the meat and herbs. That way the meat didn't get overcooked, and the herbs were more flavorful. I don't think that did any damage to the flavor, even though I gave up the pan scrapings that would have been there from browning the meat. I used homemade chicken broth, and it really was fabulous, so I highly recommend broth instead of water. Beef broth would be good too, I'm sure, as that's usually what I use when I make stew. I only gave it 4 stars because, well, it's just stew. It's good, but doesn't really send my taste buds to heaven. It's just too healthy for that:)