Chinese Beef and Vegetable Hot Pot Stew

This comforting stew is great alone or served over Chinese rice noodles.

(modification of recipe originally from Cooking Light)

Serves 6

•  4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 ½ pounds beef stew meat (1 inch pieces, trimmed)
• ½ cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons peeled fresh ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon aniseed, crushed
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can low-salt beef broth
• 2 ¾ cups water
• ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce (or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons dry cooking sherry
• 1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic
• 2 (3 inch) cinnamon sticks
• 2 cups peeled turnips, ¾ inch cubed (or parsnips), about ¾ pound
• 1 ½ cups baby carrots (cut in half so they are roughly the same size as the turnips)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 8 cups fresh baby spinach, about ½ pound

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add half of beef, browning on all sides.  Remove from pan.  Repeat procedure with remaining oil and beef.  Add onions, ginger, aniseed and garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds.  Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Return beef to pan.  Add 2 ¾ cups water and next 5 ingredients (2 ¾ cups water through cinnamon sticks), and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Add the turnips and carrots; simmer for 45 minutes or until tender.  Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch; add to beef mixture.  Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.  Discard the cinnamon sticks.  Add spinach; cover and cook for 3 minutes or until wilted.

Nutritional Info/ Serving (without rice noodles):  Calories 359, Fat 12 g, Protein 26 g, Carbs 36 g

21 Day Fix Container Equivalents/Serving:  1 Red, 1 Green, 0.5 tsp