We’ve heard of the luck of the Irish, but we usually don’t feel so lucky the day after St. Patrick’s Day — when the extra calories from all the green beer, corned beef and shamrock-shaped cupcakes make our jeans feel extra snug.
With a few smart swaps, though, even the heaviest Irish recipes can be slimmed to a calorie count that’ll have everyone doing a little jig. (Riverdance music: optional.)
This lightened-up Guinness stew is made with low-sodium broth and chuck roast trimmed of its fatty parts. Sound bland? It’s anything but. Once the carrots, parsnips, turnip, raisins and caraway seeds (and, of course, stout beer!) simmer low and slow with the beef, this version tastes as rich as the classic. Canola oil adds healthy fat, too.
Oh, and no stew is complete without some bread to sop up every drop — and traditional Irish soda bread is the perfect candidate. Made with steel-cut oats, whole-wheat flour and wheat germ, this recipe packs in an impressive amount of whole grains into every crumbly bite.
Good news: We think we’ve saved you enough calories for an extra pint!
Beef and Guinness Stew
Serves 8
3 tbsp. canola oil, divided
¼ cup flour
2 lbs. boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp. salt, divided
5 cups chopped onion (about 3 onions)
1 tbsp. tomato paste
4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
1 bottle (11.2 oz.) Guinness Stout
1 tbsp. raisins
1 tsp. caraway seeds
½ tsp. black pepper
1½ cups diagonally sliced carrots (about ½-inch thick)
1½ cups diagonally sliced parsnips (about ½-inch thick)
1 cup cubed, peeled turnips (½-inch cubes)
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1½ tbsp. oil to pan, swirl to coat.
2. Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle beef with ½ tsp. salt; dredge beef in flour.
3. Add half of beef to pan and cook 5 minutes, turning beef to brown on all sides. Remove beef from pan with slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining oil and beef.
4. Add onion to pan and cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
5. Stir in broth and beer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return meat to pan, then stir in remaining ½ tsp. salt, raisins, caraway seeds and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
6. Uncover and bring back to a boil. Cook for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add carrot, parsnip and turnip. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bring to a boil; cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
In 1 serving (about 1 cup): 365 cal, 19.4 g fat, 454mg sodium, 18.8g carbs, 3.6g fiber, 25.3g protein
Brown Soda Bread
Serves 12
Cooking spray
2½ cups whole-wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup steel-cut oats
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. wheat germ
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, line pan with parchment paper and coat again with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flours, oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and eggs. Add to flour mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Invert breat onto a wire rack and let cool completely before removing parchment paper. Cut into 12 slices.
In 1 slice: 160 cal, 1.8g fat, 286mg sodium, 30.8g carbs, 4g fiber, 7.2g protein
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