Recipes

Greek lamb and bean stew

Ingredients:

4 tsp (20 mL) olive oil, divided
1 lb (500 g) lean boneless lamb, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
1 Spanish onion (1 lb/500 g), chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) dried oregano
½ tsp (2 mL) hot pepper flakes
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) tomatoes, including juice, chopped
½ tsp salt
½ tsp (2 mL) freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (750 mL) frozen lima beans
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cubed
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and cubed
½ cup (125 mL) reduced-sodium chicken broth (approx.)
¼ cup (50 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

1. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat 2 tsp (10 mL) oil over high heat; brown lamb, in batches if necessary. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add remaining oil to pan; reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic, oregano and hot pepper flakes; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Return meat to pan along with any juices. Add tomatoes with juice, salt and pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Add beans, red and green peppers and enough chicken broth to make a sauce-like consistency. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until lamb is tender. Stir in parsley.

Notes:

Tips:
Canned tomatoes are a great timesaver, but they do contain significant amounts of sodium. One 19-oz (540 mL) can of tomatoes contains about 800 mg of sodium, as compared to 50 mg in the same quantity of diced fresh tomatoes. If you are concerned about sodium, replace the canned tomatoes in this recipe with 3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped.

Stew can be cooked ahead and stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Nutritional analysis per servings
Calories 350
Carbohydrate 32g
Fiber 7g
Protein 27g
Total fat 12g
Saturated fat 4g
Sodium 445 mg
Cholesterol 70 mg

Canada’s Choice per Serving: 2 Carbohydrates, 3 Meat & Alternatives

Recipe reprinted with permission from Diabetes Comfort Food, Johanna Burkhard and Barb Selley, Robert Rose Inc., 2006, http://www.robertrose.ca