Hearty Yet Healthy Beef Stroganoff

When the holidays are over and it's just cold and dreary and bleak (can you tell we don't like winter?), how nice it is to come home to a hot bowl of comforting food.  Soups and stews, abandoned in the warm months, now seem the ideal foods.  One version of these one-pot delights is the Stroganoff.  Normally made with rich cream, this lighter version is still wonderful but a little easier on the arteries.

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. Beef, cut into cubes or strips
1 Onion, diced
1 lb. White button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 Cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 Cups beef stock (homemade or store bought)
1 1/2 Cups chicken stock (homemade or store bought)
1/2 Cup low-fat milk
1/2 Cup low-fat sour cream
1 Teaspoon mustard
4 Cloves garlic, minced
1 Cup red wine
Handful of fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Put half the flour into a bowl and add the beef strips. Roll them around to coat in the flour. Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into a pot, add the meat and sear on all sides. Remove the seared meat from the pot and set aside.

Add the second tablespoon of oil to the pot and sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes until softened. Add the mushrooms and sauté until deeply colored (about 20 minutes). Lower the heat to medium low, sprinkle in the remaining flour and cook, stirring often, for one minute.

Return the meat to the pot and add the stock and red wine. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook on the stove-top or in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 2 1/2 hours.  When done, stir in the milk, mustard and sour cream.  Finish with the fresh parsley and serve over egg noodles. Makes approximately 4 servings.