Already? I know, I'm not pacing myself very well, am I! But this was something I just threw together as an experiment and not only was I quite pleased with how it turned out, I was amazed to find out how low the calories were too! I made this in my slow cooker (crock pot) but you could do it in the oven if you don't have a slow cooker, just keep it slow and low as the Beastie Boys said.
Lamb and Tomato Stew
300g diced lamb
2 large carrots (approx 200g)
1 medium onion (100g)
1 tin chopped tomatoes in juice (400g)
1 tin new potatoes, drained (345g)
1 chicken oxo cube
1 beef oxo cube
approx 1/2 tsp dried herbs (I used Herbs de Provence)
Brown the lamb quickly in a dry pan then add to the slow cooker along with the chopped onion, sliced carrots, tomatoes and herbs. Crumble the stock cubes into the empty tomato tin and make a stock with boiling water, this will give you about the right amount of liquid for your stew.
Leave the slow cooker on high for an hour or so then turn down to low for the rest of the day. Add the drained potatoes for the last half hour of cooking.
This made four good sized portions and was deliciously filling, but when I plugged all the ingredients into My Fitness Pal (my new best friend!) I found it only came to 177 calories per portion! I would have added parsnip too if I'd had any, which would add perhaps 20 calories per portion, totally worth it. The sauce is not very thick, if you prefer a thicker sauce you could mix in a blend of butter and flour (melt a tablespoon of butter, add a tablespoon of flour, mix well, then blend into stew) but obviously that would affect the calorie count a little. Please also note that you may need to keep an eye on the liquid levels if you cook in a regular oven as you will lose more fluid using that method.
I think this week I have saved enough calories for a cakey treat tomorrow, don't you?
Yum! Lamb is my bete noir, I'm afraid - it's the one meat I have never, ever been able to make taste good. It's always gamey. I even asked my Scottish friends for tips a few years back, to no avail. Is it crazy to admit that the best sheep-type dish I've ever had was the mutton stew they served on British Airways? But I trust your expertise, so maybe it's worth another try...
ReplyDeleteCornflour is good for thickening stock, it blends easily, or a teaspoon of instant gravy granules
ReplyDeleteThanks Barbara, I never thought of cornflour!
DeleteOh dear! I wonder why you have trouble with lamb? I reckon this recipe would work just as well with beef, but I had lamb in the freezer so that's what I went with. You'd have to recalculate the calories (if you're interested in counting them) but you'd still end up with a tasty stew at the end of the day!
ReplyDelete