If you go through the archives of GreenLiteBites I have about 5 total beef recipes. Five. Compare that to the 80+ I have tagged with chicken/turkey there's a clear winner in the meat department on my blog and in my home.
I don't have a beef with beef (omg The Husband is wearing off on me in the pun department) it's just that I always considered poultry the healthier choice in the meat department.
I can only assume that's one of the reasons the National Cattlemen's Beef Association reached out to me. They asked if I'd give beef a chance and sent me a cook book and some great beef resources.
Did you know there are 29 cuts of lean beef that fall between chicken breast and chicken thigh in the "fat department." Here's how the top 8 stack up.
Honestly, that surprised me. I always thought of beef being the higher fat and higher calorie choice but I guess I never really looked at how much higher. For some cuts we are talking a whopping 1g difference than white meat chicken. I guess I never took the different cuts into consideration. Namely because I don't know my round from my shank.
Get it? Round? Shank?
Yea.. I wouldn't have either if I didn't have this handy dandy chart they sent me.
In addition to assuming all beef was fatty I also avoided beef out of pure ignorance. Yes, even after watching Alton Browns beef episode.
Sure my grocery store has a butcher but he's not all fun and friendly like on the show. Nope. I'm all alone in the meat department with no one to ask which cuts are right for which dishes. So I simply avoided them all together.
One beef dish I have always made is stew. Honestly becuase my grocery store carries beef specifically labeled as "stew meat" just like they label certain cuts as "London Broil." Besides ground those are pretty much the only packages I ever buy.
So I decided to share my beef stew recipe in honor of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. This is my go to slow cooker idea when I just don't feel like worrying about what to make for dinner, like yesterday. 🙂
Here's what I did.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Bottom Round Roast cut into 1 inch squares
- 2 Russet Potatoes cut into chunks
- 1 large sweet potato cut into larger chunks (it cooks faster so make sure they are bigger or their just fall apart.)
- 5-6 carrots cut into chunks
- 1 onion quartered
- 3 cloves of garlic minced.
- 1 12oz can of light beer
- 2 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Rosemary
- 4 tablespoon whole wheat flour
Instructions
Put the beef, potatoes, carrots, and onion in the crockpot.
In a smaller bowl mix together the garlic, beer, Worcestershire Sauce, soy sauce,
Thyme, Rosemary, and flour.
Pour the beer mixture over the meat and potatoes in the crackpot.
Turn it on low, cover and "forgetaboutit".
Seriously, forget about it. I took the kids to the park. 🙂
After 7 hours… viola!
It was a hit. Everyone ate it.
EVERYONE..
The only complaint I got was from the little guy who told me the sweet potatoes were too soft. I tend to like them that way. They get all mushed in the gravy and compliment the beef perfectly in my opnion. 🙂
As for nutritional information this feeds us (a family of 3.5) with one plate leftover but I'm going to count it as 4 large servings. That makes 4 plates with 4oz of meat plus the potatoes and carrots. It's a filling, satisfying and well balanced meal.
So I'm curious... How often do you eat beef? Did you know how lean it could be?
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association sent me recipe books, materials and a gift card to purchase beef for this post. All opinion expressed with in this post are my own.
📖 Recipe
Roni's Beef Stew, Yes, BEEF Stew
Ingredients
- 1 lb Bottom Round Roast cut into 1 inch squares
- 2 Russet Potatoes cut into chunks
- 1 large sweet potato cut into larger chunks it cooks faster so make sure they are bigger or their just fall apart.
- 5-6 carrots cut into chunks
- 1 onion quartered
- 3 cloves of garlic minced.
- 1 12 oz can of light beer
- 2 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Rosemary
- 4 tablespoon whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Put the beef, potatoes, carrots, and onion in the crockpot.2 Russet Potatoes cut into chunks, 5-6 carrots cut into chunks, 1 12 oz can of light beer, 1 onion quartered
- In a smaller bowl mix together the garlic, beer, Worcestershire Sauce, soy sauce, Thyme, Rosemary, and flour.2 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon Thyme, 1 teaspoon Rosemary, 4 tablespoon whole wheat flour, 3 cloves of garlic minced.
- Pour the beer mixture over the meat and potatoes in the crackpot.1 large sweet potato cut into larger chunks
- Turn it on low, cover and "forgetaboutit". After 7 hours… viola!1 lb Bottom Round Roast cut into 1 inch squares, 2 Russet Potatoes cut into chunks
Aime Aguilar
I'm making this stew as I write, it seems not enough liquid??? I'm worry it will dry up. Should I add water??
roni
SO sorry! I just go this. It will be fine. NOt everything needs to be covered. Did you go with it or add more liquid?
roni
7 hours on low worked perfectly!
Beth
Roni -- about how long did you leave this in the slow-cooker?
Rebecca
Because I live in Ks it is just a staple to eat beef. When I became health conscious I researched cuts of beef and found out what cuts were a good choice. My kids favorite meal is grilled steak and baked potato. Glad to know that you that you are going to give beef a chance.
Nicole
We eat beef probably 2-4 times per week, at least! We both prefer it over chicken and I have never had a problem with the fat content--fat isn't the devil!
http://jonnybowdenblog.com/low-carb-beats-low-fat/
We often buy a big roast and make it on Sunday afternoons, and it feeds us for lunch and dinner for several days. Also, when I eat out I rarely order chicken--beef (or lamb!) is generally a better value.
Allison Brill
I love my crock pot! It's so easy to set and go! The only downside is using it to cook for one leaves a TON of leftovers and I usually get bored of the same thing to eat it all....great for dinner with friends though!
Penny
I like the idea of beer to make the stew. I will try this the next time I make stew. We rotate meats in our house. Chicken, fish, and beef are the go to meats. We also serve lamb, pork and seafood. I tend to eat beef and chicken more because of the price. I am also anemic so I try to eat red meat (and other food sources) to help with my iron levels.
Sara, Food Blogger on a Diet / Ms. Adventures in Italy
This is timely - I've been wanting to get some brisket here in Italy but I'm still not sure what the translation is - I'm thinking of just pointing to the part of the cow and now I know where it is 🙂
Stacey
Buy grass-fed beef. It's MUCH healthier than grain-fed beef and contains two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from grain-fed animals. We go to our local farmers market and get local grass-fed beef!!
http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm
Claudia
This looks great - time to get out my crockpot - I use it only rarely, but summer is coming quite early this year (far too hot here in FL, so this looks to be a tasty dinner idea.
The google search helps me to find ideas, how to prepare certain cuts of beef - I search more online, than in my hundreds of cookbooks....
In Germany, most people don't buy beef (mad cow disease stigma)- So they stick to poultry and pork.
I always try to buy different kinds of meat - I can't serve them chicken all the time...
But I always try to buy the more lean parts - like extra lean ground beef, the only exemption is Steaks for grilling - there has to be a little fat on those, otherwise its too dry. (but we seldom have steaks these days). I also tried beef form O...., great.
I just found your blog and love it,
Claudia
lauramich
My husband and I have been fortunate enough to split a side of local, grass-fed beef with my BIL every year for the last couple of years. Because we buy directly from the farmer, the per-pound price is comparable to cheap ground beef from the store ... and we're getting steaks and roasts as well as ground. Yes, sometimes I've had to Google specific cuts to figure out how to prepare them! Last time we got beef short ribs, which I braised in the slow cooker and added to our favorite stir fry. Even though I eat more red meat than is recommended, my cholesterol numbers have improved, I suspect partly because grass-fed beef has a better fatty acid profile than conventional beef. That said, the ground beef we get is fattier than what I used to buy st the store, so I drain and rinse it well,
And when we eat out, I stick with poultry or seafood. Why order a steak when I have a freezer full of fabulous steaks?
Emily
Sounds really good- I'll have to give this version a try for sure! One thing I might do a little differently- that I learned from a low cal cookbook awhile back- instead of adding flour as a thickener- try mashing up half a potato (give or take) and mixing it into the recipe. This might not work quite as well in a slow cooker (I haven't tried)- but if you were re-heating on the stove (or cooking it that way to begin with)- it works well. Also works well as a thickener for gravy.
shandy
That looks tasty! I do eat the occasional beef. I tend to go for the local, grass-fed stuff though. Especially when it comes to ground beef. I've also been enjoying some eye of round steaks lately. Just a nice little steak to have from time to time. I just throw it on the foreman grill for a few minutes (I don't have a regular grill)
angie
looks yummy! 🙂 Cant wait to try it!