I don’t recall where this cookbook (Healthy Favorites From America’s Community Cookbooks) came from. I suspect I got it from my grandmother’s house when she told me she didn’t use them anymore and I could take the ones I wanted.
I’m pretty sure that when I made the recipes I did out of this cookbook, I completely negated the “healthy” part of it, because it suggests low-fat turkey bacon and no salt added tomatoes, and I didn’t. . .heed to any of that. I don’t necessarily like turkey bacon and I’m a big fan of salt, so there you go. If you want to healthy up this recipe, that’s fine.
This was a really good dinner. My only complaint was that there wasn’t as much liquid as I’d anticipated, but I suspect that was something to do with how long I simmered it. Just keep an eye on the stove if you want more liquid in it.
One last thing: I don’t feel like the bacon added anything to the recipe, but Dennis said it wouldn’t have been as good without it. I just depends on how you feel about bacon, I guess.
Texas Cowboy Stew
1 onion, chopped
5 slices bacon, chopped
12 oz. ground beef
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
5 red potatoes, cubed
1 28-oz. can full tomatoes with juice, cut up
1 cup water
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 cups frozen corn
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Pour olive oil in a large pan and heat over medium heat. Add onions and bacon and cook, stirring often, until bacon is cooked and onions are soft.
Add garlic and beef to the pan and cook until the beef is browned. Drain the grease from the pan and move mixture to a separate plate. Blot the mixture, if that’s your thing.
Return the mixture to the pan. Add the potatoes, tomatoes (juice included), water, and spices. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the corn. Re-cover and simmer for another 15 minutes or so, or until the potatoes are tender to your liking.
