Beef & Butternut Heaven

I made this for dinner tonight, and it took 1 hour - INCLUDING a trip to the grocery store.  It is amazingly fast and delicious if you like Moroccan food.  I highly recommend it!  And as you'll notice as we continue this blog...you can't go wrong with cilantro.  This recipe doesn't require any fancy kitchen equipment, but you can also use an actual tagine or dutch oven to cook this.  I left out the couscous to cut back on the carbs, but it was still so great.  The recipe is from the January/February 2011 edition of Cooking Light magazine.

Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 lb of beef roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
4 shallots, quartered
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 lb)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Directions:
1.  Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl; toss beef to coat.
2.  Heat oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat.  Add beef & shallots; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.
3.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
4.  Stir in broth & tomatoes; bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.
5.  Add squash; cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until squash is tender.

Serve in shallow bowls; top with cilantro and green onion.

Optional serving suggestion:  Mix 3/4 cup of low-sodium chicken broth and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil in a saucepan.  Add 1 cup uncooked couscous; remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.  Fluff couscous with a fork and serve with beef tagine.