Breakfast Stew, Low Carb

I make this up every few weeks and use the results for breakfast once or twice a week.

All measurements are approximate; it's one of those "make it up as you go along" type of dishes. The main thing is to not add too many high-carb veges to it - no spuds for example. Carrots are OK for me, but they do spike some people, so adjust to suit yourself. Replace with something like cabbage or capsicum - or any vege you like in season. It's a sort of combined vege stew and beef burgundy.

Ingredients

1.5-2kg (3.5-4lbs) approx of stewing beef - or any red meat.
2 cups celery, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
one medium/large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 rasher back bacon, chopped (about 4 American strips)
Chopped herbs to your taste; I use basil, mint and thyme.

Method

Fry the onions, garlic and chopped bacon in a little olive oil until the onion is starting to lightly brown; add the celery, carrots and herbs and stirfry over high heat until the veges have started to "sweat" but aren't fully cooked. Transfer to a bowl temporarily.

Trim the beef carefully of fat and gristle and cut into smallish cubes of 1-2cm, or 1/2"-3/4".
Fry the meat on high heat in a little olive oil in the same pan in small batches until they are sealed and brown but not cooked. Transfer to an appropriate sized casserole container for your oven. Don't do too much at once or they will release too much liquid and not brown correctly.

When all the meat has been fried and is in the casserole container, deglaze the pan with a cup or two of dry red wine. Sprinkle a teaspoon of guar gum over the reserved veges and mix together to spread it, then add to the casserole dish and mix with the meat. Add sufficient stock (or water and stock cubes) to the wine so that the result will be just enough to cover the mixture of meat and veg, bring to the boil, then pour into the mix and stir. Press down the mixture with a large spoon so that the liquid just covers the meat and veg.

Cook in a 140-160C (285-320F) oven for about 90 minutes (longer if it's a really cheap cut of meat) and leave it in the oven another 20 minutes after you turn off the heat. About half-way through, season with salt and pepper to your taste.

I also add a few sliced mushrooms to the mix sometimes.

Let it cool in the fridge overnight. Put 7-10 small individual serves in plastic containers in the freezer. When you want a quick no-fuss breakfast decant it into a bowl, zap it in the microwave while making your coffee or having your shower - and presto - breakfast.

Based on those ingredients and 8 serves, this is an approximate nutrition breakdown:

Calories________400__cal
Protein________38__gm
Total Fat_______20__gm
__Sat. Fat______9__gm
__Mono. Fat____10__gm
__Poly. Fat______1__gm
Carbohydrate____6__gm
__Fiber________2__gm
Sodium_______250__mg
Cholesterol_____125__mg

Cheers, Alan