Okay – so the last few days have been deliciously sunny. Up until today. Overcast, cold and it looks like it might rain. Blah and bah humbug!  For some of you in the golden state it’s still raining and on a day like today, Savory Beef Stew is just what the doctor ordered. Meet your new cold weather friend. This is a real satisfying, comfort warm your belly stew. It’s easy to make and easy on the budget. And I like that.

I can always turn to this Savory Beef Stew for a delicious rib sticking meal. Plus, it’s real good.  It warms my soul when the sun isn’t out. And I like that too.

Savory Beef Stew is another great one pot meal & needs just a little time on the stove to develop it’s rich and hearty sauce. I’m gonna let you stew on that.

Ingredients: 6 cloves garlic, 1 medium yellow onion, 6 stalks celery, 6 stalks carrots, and 6 potatoes

2 1/2 pounds cubed beef stew meat, 32 oz container Beef Broth, 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano, 1-2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning, 1 teaspoon Thyme, 1 Bay leaf, salt-n-pepper (mix 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp of the powdered pepper), 1 ½ cups flour (or enough to dredge the meat),  and 3-6 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Let’s prepare the veggies.

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Set aside.

Cut the carrots and celery into large chunks.

Cut the potatoes into large chunks and cubes.
Don’t forget the parsley. Chop it up coarsely.  Set all the prepared veggies aside.

Now we are ready to get our stew started.

Dredge the stew meat in the flour, making sure that the meat is coated in the flour.

Coating the meat in the flour makes sure we get a nice thick stew sauce.

Heat 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil in a large stockpot, over med/high heat.

Brown the stew meat in batches, and remove from the pot after each batch. Cooking the stew meat in batches ensures that all the meat get’s nice and brown.

Big bunch o’ browned stew meat. Set the meat aside.

Add 2-3 more Tablespoons olive oil to the same pot and heat on medium scraping the bottom of the pan. All those drippings mean extra goodness and flavor.

Add the chopped onions, and salt and pepper. Cook until translucent

and then add the garlic. Cook and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot until both are golden brown.

Add the chopped celery and carrots. Toss and stir,

and then add the potatoes, making sure all the veggies are mixed and coated in olive oil.

Stir in the spices and browned meat.

Add the beef broth.

Cover and cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.

Give it a good stir now and then.

Cook until the potatoes are softened and the sauce is thickened.

Uncover and stir in the diced tomatoes and add a Bay leaf.

Cook uncovered for another 20 minutes over medium heat.

Add the chopped fresh parsley last.

A big pot of Savory Beef Stew.

Served with some Herbed Garlic Bread and lots of love.

Sometimes, I like to mash the potatoes a bit and add butter. Cause butter makes it better.

Other times I like it without. No butter required. I’m moody like that.

And am in the mood for Savory Beef Stew.

 Printable Recipe

Savory Beef Stew

6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 stalks celery, cut into chunks
6 carrots cut into chunks
6 potatoes cut into large cubes
Fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
2.5 pounds beef stew meat, cubed
1 32 oz container Beef Broth
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano
1-2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 Bay leaf
Salt-n-pepper, mix 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp of powdered pepper
1 ½ cups flour (or enough to dredge the meat)
3-6 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Dredge the stew meat in the flour, making sure that the meat is coated in the flour. Heat 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil in a large stockpot. Over med/high heat brown the stew meat in batches, and remove from pot. Add 2-3 more Tablespoons olive oil to the same pot and heat on medium scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the chopped onions, and salt and pepper. Cook until translucent and then add the garlic until both are golden brown. Add in the chopped celery and carrots and toss stir to coat and then add the potatoes, making sure all the veggies are mixed and coated in olive oil.
Stir in the spices and browned meat.  Add the beef broth. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are softened and the sauce is thickened. Uncover and stir in the diced tomatoes and add the Bay leaf. Cook uncovered for another 20 minutes over medium heat. Add the chopped fresh parsley last.  For a real treat serve with Herbed Garlic Bread.

Coconut Chicken Curry is a super yummy, nutritious dish. And it’s a snap to whip up. What I call a “one pan dish” (always the way to go in my house!) and it’s so easy. Inspired by what I had in my fridge, and the tropical vacation I’m taking. Real soon. Beaches, coconuts, curry, and spice here I come…
Ha! Well, at least in my mind anyway.

Coconut Chicken Curry starts with cubed chicken breasts marinated in yogurt & spices. Tender chunks of chicken, sweet potato & peas are then cooked and simmered in an aromatic coconut curry sauce. I serve mine with sticky rice, but I imagine it would be great served with noodles too.

Bring the vacation home and make my Coconut Chicken Curry. A tasty Thai style dish that will impress your family, friends, and your taste buds. Enjoy!

One last note: I will be showing you the ingredients as I go…I needed to bust this dinner out. I know you understand. Must put food on table now. That sort of night. So, here we go.

3 Chicken breasts

Cube the chicken into bite size chunks and place in a bowl or dish.

I’m using plain greek style yogurt. But any plain yogurt will do.

½ cup’s worth in a small mixing bowl.

Mix in 1-2 teaspoons curry paste. You can purchase the curry paste in the Asian aisle in your local grocery store.

½ teaspoon garlic powder

A pinch of salt and pepper

then give it a good stir.

Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss to coat.

Cover, and place in fridge. Let it marinade for as long as you can. I say let it sit in the fridge overnight, but my dudes say, “we are hungry,” which = about a 3 hour marinade.

Let’s prep the veggies.

1 lg. cooked sweet potato and 1 med. yellow onion

Meet my new best friend. The sweet potato. One serving of sweet potatoes is packed with a whopping amount of Vitamin A, not to mention a healthy dose of Vitamin C. They are a fat free food source that are high in fiber and trace minerals like calcium, iron, phosphorous, and magnesium.
Remove the skin from the cooked sweet potato, cube, and set aside.

Dice the yellow onion and set aside.

Grab a 2-3″ deep medium sauté pan. Heat about 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat.
Be sure that your sauté pan is deep enough, since we are making this all in one pan.

Put the marinated chicken in the pan. The yogurt marinade makes the chicken so tender! Just wait.

Cover and cook over medium heat for 5-8 minutes.

Remove the cooked chicken from the pan. Set aside.

In the same pan,

melt 2 Tablespoons butter.

Add the onions

and a pinch of salt. Cook onions over medium heat until golden brown, scraping the bottom of the pan.
We want all the good stuff on the bottom of the pan!

Let’s spice this dish up by adding more curry paste (optional).  I’m going to add 1 Tablespoon curry paste. Warning Some curry paste brands pack more heat than others. If you want to turn up the heat – go for it! Some like it hot, others not. Add as much as you would like. Go ahead, I give you permission.

Now comes the good stuff – coconut milk. I am using the lowfat variety & there’s nothin’ wrong with that. When it comes to coconut milk, the lowfat version tastes just as good. The only time I wouldn’t use the lowfat coconut milk would be for baking; like in my Killer Coconut Cake. Don’t skimp in baking! You see why? I know. Big drool.

Speaking of drooling, two big dudes are meandering around the kitchen…

Pour in the can of coconut milk.

And add 2 cups frozen peas.

Stir it up while heating over a medium flame.

Now for the curry powder. Any curry powder will do. This is my homemade curry seasoning. I will share this recipe soon. I promise.

Add 1-2 teaspoons of curry powder

1 teaspoon paprika

and some chili garlic sauce.

Once again, I’ll leave it up to you on the amount of fire you want in your belly – but I’m adding about ½ teaspoon.

Now for the last part.                                Drum roll please.
The cooked cubed sweet potatoes. Add them in and simmer down now. No, not you.  Bring it all to a simmer until it’s nice and bubbly.

And ready.
Okay dudes. Thanks for waiting. Let’s eat.

Served here with some sticky rice. I would have added chopped cilantro to top it off. Sorely lacking in the cilantro department today, people.

But just as delish without.

A big bite o’ the good stuff.

 Printable Recipe

Coconut Chicken Curry

3 Chicken breasts, cubed
Cut the chicken breasts into bite size cubes. Place in glass bowl or dish. Make the marinade.

Marinade:
½ cup yogurt, plain
1-2 teaspoons curry paste, to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
A pinch of salt and pepper
Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and place in fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.

1 lg. cooked sweet potato, skin removed and cubed
1 med. yellow onion, diced
Prepare the sweet potato and onion. Set aside.
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon curry paste, optional
1 can of coconut milk
1 teaspoon paprika
1-2 teaspoons of curry powder
½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce
2 cups frozen peas

In a 2-3″ deep medium sauté pan, add 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Heat the oil on medium heat and add the marinated chicken. Cover and cook the chicken for 5-8 minutes. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan. Set aside.

In the same sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook the onions over medium heat until golden brown, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add in the cooked chicken, curry paste, coconut milk, the spices, and chili garlic sauce. Bring to a simmer and add the peas, cook for 5-8 minutes until bubbly. Stir in the cubed sweet potato last. Serve with sticky rice. Optional additions:  chopped cilantro, diced jalapeños, thai chiles, pineapple chunks…