Swiss steak recipe smothered in healthful goodness

It’s called smothered steak in Great Britain. Slow cooking makes the steak tender and helps the sauce flavors blend with the meat.

I use grass-fed beef in this recipe. It is lower in saturated fat than conventional beef and tastes great.

Helpful Hints:

• Do not let the sauce boil while cooking.

Countdown:

• Prepare ingredients.

• Make dish.

Staples:

Olive oil, flour, carrots, salt and black peppercorns.

Swiss Steak

Yield 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

10 ounces grass-fed round steak, cut into 4 pieces

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 pound red potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3½ cups)

1 cup sliced carrots

1½ cups low-sodium chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)

Remove visible fat from meat and cut into 4 pieces. Place between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound into thinner steaks with a meat mallet or bottom of a heavy skillet. Combine flour and mustard together in a bowl. Add the steak and toss to coat all sides. Heat oil in a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the steak, potatoes and carrots. Saute 5 minutes to brown steak on all sides. Sprinkle any remaining flour and dry mustard that did not stick to the steak over the vegetables. Add the chopped tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce. Lower the heat to medium, cover and cook 1 hour. The meat should be fork-tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Divide between two dinner plates. Sprinkle parsley on top (optional).

Per serving: 490 calories, 110 calories from fat, 12 g fat, 3.3 g saturated fat, 6.2 g monounsaturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 39 g protein, 59 g carbohydrates, 8 g dietary fiber, 13 g sugars, 580 mg sodium, 1,660 mg potassium, 220 mg phosphorus.

Exchanges: 3 starch, 2 vegetable, 4 1/2 lean protein.