Beef Stroganoff

For the second half of our Beef Burgundy Stew creation we have the popular favorite, Beef Stroganoff. Admittedly beef stroganoff is one of my all time favorite dishes...we're talking death row last dinner favorites...so as such I feel no guilt in telling you that this is by far one of the least favorite versions I've tried to date! That might be a bit harsh...the stroganoff part of the recipe is par but still lacks the usual zest of the traditional recipes leaving for a literal watered down version of our previous stew that had such robust flavor on its own. The downfall of this dish then is the use of orzo pasta in lieu of the more commonly used egg noodle....rice shaped noodles never will be able to hold the "ooh and ahh" luster of their hardier egg noodle cousin. My recommendation then would be to replace the orzo with egg noodles compensating the points difference and add a little more spice, even if just Worcestershire Sauce, to the stroganoff portion. I'll still provide link to the original recipe in case there exists a hard core orzo fan out there that is just dying to try a new rice/pasta/concoction! Happy Cooking! Beef Stroganoff

Beef Burgundy Stew

The first dish of the New Year mimics cooking great Julia Child's classic Boeuf Bourguignon; though our healthier version banishes bacon and encourages lean cuts of beef the overall taste and texture of the dish remains for a hearty, full bodied stew. I was admittedly surprised to see the continued inclusion of flour, wine and olive oil for the recipe...especially when it only topped out at 9 points plus per serving (I shall try to call them Points Plus but really they're still just points to me!)...This recipe comes from the WW Now & Later cookbook, as is the case with many of you my cookbooks are from the WW Momentum program which fortunately includes all of the nutritional information allowing for easy points conversion. On a similar note I am undecided on the utility of going back and converting all previously posted recipes or simply leaving them as remains...we shall see on that one! Getting back to our dish at hand...I must say that this is an excellent recipe to start off your New Year's diet with, fatty foods help dispel excess alcohol, can you really go wrong with beef stew?? I should mention before concluding that this recipe will make enough to serve 8 people 1 1/4 cups each...you can either stop here and have a lovely dinner party, save the extras for your busy work week or save 3 cups worth to continue on with the next stage. I'll be posting the "later" Beef Stroganoff tomorrow so start now to keep up...Happy Cooking, Beef Burgundy