Category: Beef

1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak; seal and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade.

Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from grill; sprinkle with salt. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut across grain into thin slices.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces)

6 points

Serve over egg noodles or rice.
Okay in slow cooker.

1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/2 ounce)
1 cup boiling water
1 1/4 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup pearl onions (about 16)
6 cups chopped cremini mushrooms (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups (1/4-inch) slices carrot (about 2 large)
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
4 thyme sprigs
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Combine porcini mushrooms and 1 cup boiling water in a small bowl; let stand 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms through a sieve into a bowl, reserving liquid. Chop mushrooms; set aside.

Sprinkle beef with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of beef to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Remove beef from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining beef.

Add onions to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Add cremini mushrooms and carrot; sauté 3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add beef, porcini mushrooms, porcini liquid, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, broth, and next 4 ingredients (through bay leaves); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Uncover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until liquid thickens. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves.

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)

• Calories: 307
• Fat: 10.3g
• Fiber: 3.5g

1/3 c flour
2 tsp salt, divided
¾ tsp ground black pepper, divided
2 ¼ lbs beef stew meat
3 bacon slices, chopped and divided
1 c chopped onion
1 c sliced carrot
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ c dry red wine
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
8 c halved mushrooms (1 ½ lbs)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen pearl onions
7 c hot cooked medium egg noodles
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Combine flour, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag.  Add beef, seal and shake to coat.

Cook half of bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon; set aside.  Add half of beef mixture to drippings in pan; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides.  Remove beef from pan; cover and keep warm.  Repeat procedure with remaining bacon and beef mixture.  Remove beef from pan; cover and keep warm.

Add chopped onion, sliced carrot, and minced garlic to pan; saute 5 minutes.  Stir in red wine and broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Add bacon, beef, remaining 1 tsp salt, remaining ½ tsp pepper, mushrooms, tomato paste, chopped thyme, bay leaves, and pearl onions; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.  Uncover and cook 1 hour or until beef is tender.  Discard bay leaves.  Serve beef mixture over noodles, sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: 9 servings.

Note: After browning beef, I assembled ingredients and used a crock pot to prepare the stew.