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3 tricks to healthier beef stroganoff

— Several years ago, my sister Katie found our grandma’s old recipe file, stuffed with yellowed clippings and recipes handwritten in her slanted cursive. It was a great source of inspiration for classic recipes that needed a little makeover. The file was full of cheesy casseroles, dishes with canned mushroom soup, and a rich recipe for beef stroganoff, laced with sour cream.

My sister and I didn’t eat much beef stroganoff growing up, but it was wildly popular in the 1950s (the ultimate comfort-food era), when my grandma was busy cooking for her family. Katie, a recipe developer for EatingWell, revamped the old recipe to create EatingWell’s Beef Stroganoff With Portobello Mushrooms, which is healthier and tastier than our grandma’s version.

Three tricks made the new version healthy:

  1. We added meaty portobello mushrooms to make sure the servings are satisfying but not too high in calories.

  2. We substituted reduced-fat sour cream for regular sour cream and heavy cream.

  3. While beef stroganoff is made with all sorts of cuts of meat, sometimes sliced into strips or diced, we opted for flank steak in this recipe because it’srelatively lean. The trick with flank is to cut it thinly to keep it tender.

BEEF AND PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM STROGANOFF Our version of beef stroganoff tops seared flank steak with a rich-tasting sauce made with a touch of cognac, reduced-fat sour cream and plenty of portobello mushrooms. Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles.

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups eachPrep time: 40 minutes.

Total time: 40 minutes.

Ingredients: 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided 1 pound flank steak, trimmed 4 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed, halved and thinly sliced 1 large onion, sliced3/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 (14-ounce) can reduced-sodium beef broth 2 tablespoons cognac or brandy 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream 4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or parsley Directions:

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add steak and cook until browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (The meat will be rare, but will continue to cook as it rests.) Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut lengthwise into 2 long pieces, then crosswise, across the grain, into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, thyme, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are very tender and lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables; stir to coat. Stir in broth, cognac (or brandy) and vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer, and continue cooking, stirring often, until the mixture is thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in sour cream, chives (or parsley), the sliced steak and any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Recipe nutrition: Per serving - 338 calories, 17 grams fat (6 grams saturated, 7 grams monounsaturated), 58 milligrams cholesterol, 14 grams carbohydrate, 28 grams protein, 2 grams fiber, 552 milligrams sodium and 828 milligrams potassium.

1 carbohydrate serving.

Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 4 lean meat and 1 fat.

Jessie Price is the deputy editor of food for EatingWell Magazine and author of the James Beard Award-winning The Simple Art of EatingWell and EatingWell One-Pot Meals.EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life and can be found online at www.eating well.com.

River Valley Ozark, Pages 61 on 04/12/2012

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