Beer Beef Stew

A few weeks ago I was given the gift of a Crock Pot. Talk about saving time... you literally just throw everything into the pot and let it cook for hours. In the end you're rewarded for doing almost nothing by tender meats, perfectly cooked veggies, and delicious smells that fill my apartment. Since I received said Crock Pot from my boyfriend's awesome parents, my boyfriend has been requesting beef stew. Since I'm not really a fan of stew, I had no recipe on hand to use, and resorted to google-ing and asking my Mom. In the end, I combined a bunch of recipes to create my own. It was flavorful, hearty, and most importantly- used that random bottle of Yuengling I've had in my fridge...

Beer Beef Stew

1.5 pounds Trimmed Beef (hormone-free from Trader Joes!)
2 med Onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. Butter or SmartBalance Light
5 stalks Celery, chopped
4 large Carrots, sliced into thick coins
10 oz Baby [porta]Bella Mushrooms, sliced (pre-sliced at Trader Joes, same price as white mushrooms, but a muuuch better flavor)
12 oz Yuengling beer
28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
1 pound Mini Potatoes, chopped in half (chopped is John's order to increase the flavor profile )
1 Beef Bouillon Cube
1 Bay leaf
Flour, seasonings to taste

1. Melt Butter or SmartBalance Light in the Crock Pot on high, add chopped onions when melted, and cook for 20 minutes.
2. Season beef and lightly toss in flour. Sear the meat in a frying pan over the stove- it shouldn't cook it- it should just give it some color.
3. When onions are softened, add seared meat and EVERYTHING else into the crockpot then cook it on high for 6 hours.

**With an hour remaining, the stew can be thickened by adding an equal mix of flour added to COLD water- make sure to get out alll the lumps before adding to the stew**


The stew gets better when it can sit in the fridge overnight. Remember to season it, because if you completely forget to season the stew, then give it to your boyfriend unseasoned, he may or may not make fun of you for a few days ;)

Dietetically Yours,

Lorilyn