Winter is taking hold down here in the Southern hemisphere which means we are looking for comfort food. I am not a very interested in booze for drinking, but I don’t have anything against cooking with it. This stew is a true winter warmer and perfect for a wet and windy night in front of the fire.

Freezer meal

Hands up if you are busy. Who is way too tired to get in the kitchen to cook at the end of the day? Definitely not me.

My days are filled with meetings, to-do lists, emails and telling people what to do, by the time I finish work the last thing I want to do is get stuck into cooking a meal and then cleaning up afterwards. I want to work out and spend some time with Jaime. That is why freezer meals are my favourite solutions to the challenge of a busy life. A few hours on the weekend, and you find yourself with a stack of options for dinner that can be thawed and cooked for a healthy, delicious meal for the family.

Beef and ale stew recipe

Ingredients

• 3 bay leaves
• 500g diced stewing beef
• 500ml ale
• 2 celery sticks chopped
• 2 onions chopped
• 2 carrots sliced
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp. tapioca flour
• 1 can tomatoes

Beef and ale stew

• Servings: 6
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes 
• Rating: ★★★★★
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This winter warmer is an idea meal to keep you warm and full.

Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats

Ingredients

• 3 bay leaves
• 500g diced stewing beef
• 500ml ale
• 2 celery sticks chopped
• 2 onions chopped
• 2 carrots sliced
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp. tapioca flour
• 1 can tomatoes

Directions

1. Take a large stock pot and add the olive oil to the pot.
2. Add the vegetables and bay leaves to the pot over a medium heat.
3. Cook the vegetables for 10 minutes, try not to break up the bay leaves as the vegetables cook.
4. Add the meat and flour to pot and stir well, make sure the meat and vegetables are coated in the flour.
5. Add the ale to the pot and mix well.
6. Add the can of tomatoes to the pot.
7. Stir well and bring the liquid to a boil.
8. Reduce the heat so that the liquid is gently simmering.
9. Let the stew simmer for 3 hours, stir occasionally to make sure the stew doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
10. Remove the bay leaves.
11. Serve over cauliflower rice or cauliflower mash.

Nutrition

Per Serving: 197 calories; 5.5 g fat; 8.4 g carbohydrates; 18.3 g protein

Equipment

• Knife
• Chopping board
• Scale
• Measuring spoons 
• Stock pot
• Wooden spoon

Nutritional disclaimer

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.