Mim’s Hearty Sunday Stew

I love to make beef stew on Sunday, when I can add all of the ingredients and then let it simmer and fill our home with its enticing aroma all day long. This delicious stew is teeming with a variety of vegetables. It is a hearty meal just by itself, although it is wonderful accompanied by warm, crusty, whole grain bread and fresh salad.

Makes 10 servings

• Ingredients: 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 pounds of top round lean beef, cut into small chunks for stew
• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into medium chunks
• 4 small yellow onions, peeled and quartered
• 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into large 4-5 pieces each
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into medium pieces
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup short grain brown rice
• 1 small, frozen box of each: lima beans, corn, and peas
• salt and pepper to taste

Brown the meat in butter until cooked about medium. Remove from heat, drain, and rinse the stew pot. Return the meat to the pot and add the butternut squash, onions, carrots, potatoes, and bay leaf, and pour the vegetable broth into the pot. Add water into the pot so that the fluid covers all of the vegetables and meet and a little bit more. Bring to a boil and then simmer (covered) on low for 1 1/2 hours. Cook the brown rice and add to the stew about one hour before you serve. Then, add the boxes of lima beans, corn, and peas and cook (covered) on low-medium heat for 45 minutes or more. Serve piping hot with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Nutritional information (per serving) 480 calories, 18 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 39 g protein, 41 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber

Portions: 2 protein, 2 vegetable, 1 grain, 2 extra