Recipe: Beef Stroganoff Potatoes

Eating healthy is not easy for me - I love food. (duh) Lately I've been checking out these meal planning services for easy, low-calorie meals. Meals by the Week offers up a plan for Under 400 Calorie meals so I've been trying it out. 

One that caught my eye right away was the Beef Stroganoff Potatoes recipe. I really like that their site allows you to choose how many people the recipe is for. This is great when you only have 2 people so you don't end up with leftovers for days.

 First you saute beef tips - I used my Farberware pan - it's perfect for things like this.

I tend to cook beef tips like this fairly rare since I know that they're going to be added back in and cook a bit longer. After they're seared - remove them from the pan and set aside. 

Then add mushrooms, garlic & onions to the pan and saute those until soft. 

This recipe called for beef broth and cornstarch - I took half of the broth and heated it up in the microwave and then whisked in the cornstarch.

Then you add the beef, cornstarch/broth and the rest of the broth into the mushroom mixture. Stir until it's all mixed together and the liquid thickens up a bit. Then you remove from the heat and add plain yogurt to make it creamier.

Then serve over potatoes! I cooked up some Yukon gold potatoes as opposed to the Russets mentioned in the recipe.

This recipe was definitely simple and under 400 calories - how can you go wrong?!

Beef Stroganoff Potatoes 
From Meals by the Week

2 each potatoes, russet 
1/4 pound beef tips, cooked 
1 Tbsp. butter 
1/8 cup onion, sweet , chopped 
1/4 pound mushrooms, white , sliced 
1/2 clove garlic , minced 
1 cups beef broth 
1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch 
1/8 cup yogurt, plain 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash potatoes and pierce with a fork. Rub the skin with sea salt, and wrap each potato individually in aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour, or until potatoes are soft and cooked through. (Alternate cooking method: place wrapped potatoes in a slow cooker and cook on high for 8-10 hours.) 
• Cut beef tips into bite-sized pieces and sear for 3-5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside. 
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic, stirring occasionally and cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup of the broth in the microwave and whisk in the cornstarch. Once the mushroom mixture is finished cooking, Add the cooked beef, beef broth, and cornstarch mixture. Heat for about 5 minutes, until the beef is warmed through. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the yogurt. Season with pepper. Return the skillet to the heat and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. 
• Cut potatoes open and mash the flesh so that it is soft. Ladle the beef and mushroom mixture over the potatoes and serve.