Beef Stew with Pinto Beans

Beef stew with plenty of vegetables have became one of my favourite. The thick and flavory gravy simply delicious with rice or noodles, make the meal wholesome and fantastic, especially for kids! This is my few attempts in making beef stew but I loved this recipe ever compared to the previous recipes. By simply stir frying the beef chunks before hand can brings out extra flavour and tenderness of the meat, and not to forget to choose a suitable parts of the beef. The beef meat must not be too lean, a little bit of fats attached make magic of it.


This time, I added some "Pinto Beans" into the stew. Pinto beans or variety of mix beans always my top favourite in making soup, stew or braised. Check out my "Mix Beans Soup" !
I knew that beans have good Protein, High in Fibre and plenty of goodness in it but not that's all until I googled and found all these information from the net to share with all of you!

Pinto beans have a beige background strewn with reddish brown splashes of color.
They are like little painted canvases, á la Jackson Pollack; hence their name "pinto,"
which in Spanish means "painted." When cooked, their colored splotches disappear,
and they become a beautiful pink color.

Take a look at these Goodness and Benefits of Pinto beans...

Health Benefits
Pinto beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber,
as are most other beans.

A Fiber All Star
Pinto beans, like other beans, are rich in fiber.

Lower Your Heart Attack Risk
Pinto beans' contribution to heart health lies not just in their fiber,
but in the significant amounts of folate, magnesium,
and potassium these beans supply.

Pinto Beans Give You Energy to Burn While Stabilizing Blood Sugar
In addition to its beneficial effects on the digestive system and the heart,
the dietary fiber found in pinto beans helps stabilize blood sugar levels.

Sensitive to Sulfites? Pinto Beans Can Help
Pinto beans are an excellent source of the trace mineral,
molybdenum, an integral component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase,
which is responsible for detoxifying sulfites.

Iron for Energy
In addition to providing slow burning complex carbohydrates,
pinto beans can increase your energy by helping to replenish your iron stores.

...and many more information on the Goodness of Pinto Beans...

Check out all these:
• How to Enjoy
• Tips for Preparing Pinto Beans
• A Few Quick Serving Ideas
• Safety in preparing Pinto Beans and Purines

Resources from WHFoods

Ingredients:
300gm well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into smaller chunks
1/2 cup Pinto beans, washed & soaked overnight
1 Carrot, cut into chunks
1 stalk Celery, cut in to chunks
1 Yellow onion, cut into 8 portions
2 medium-sized Tomatoes, cut into cubes
1 medium-sized Potato, cut into cubes
500ml water or beef broth
10 florets broccoli
Olive oil

Seasonings:
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Ground black pepper
1 tsp Dried basil leaves or Italian Mixed Herbs

Methods:
1. Soak pinto beans overnight. Drained. Set aside.
2. Blanch broccoli with some salt & olive oil. Drained. Set aside.
3. Marinade beef with salt and ground black pepper for 2 hours.
4. Heat up 3 tbsp of olive oil, stir fry beef till tender & soft (about 8 mins)
5. With the remaining oil, stir fry carrot & pinto beans for 2 mins.
6. Add in potato & onion. Stir fry another minute.
7. Add in celery & tomato. Stir fry and mix well.
8. Add beef & stir fry for another 2 mins.
9. Add water or beef broth, bring to boil.
10. Add seasonings. Simmer till gravy thicken.
11. Dish up, garnish with broccoli & serve.


My bits of tips:
*You may use other beans besides pinto beans, e.g. Lima beans, Cranberry beans, Navy beans & so on.