fall into flavor

My son loves this stew so much he gets all excited like the cartoon character dog snuggles, if he could jump to the ceiling and float to the earth to show his great pleasure he would.

He is such a character, don't worry about his gun I cant get him to kill one of our roosters, they started to fight to the bloody end and we had to separate them, the only way to get peace back to the coop is to keep only one rooster, and no one wants to be the one to kill the extra rooster. For now they are in separate cadges.

I call this salsa stew because I have other recipes that have the name southwestern in them. It takes time but its well worth it, I use mild salsa and fresh herbs when I can.

Southwestern stew

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups water
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup salsa
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1-1/2 cups frozen cut green beans
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
Hot pepper sauce, optional
Hot cooked rice, optional
Directions
In a 4-qt. Dutch oven, brown meat in oil over medium heat; drain. Add the next eight ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add carrots; return to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, corn and chilies; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender. Season with hot pepper sauce if desired. Serve over rice if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: One serving (prepared with lean meat and low-sodium tomatoes and without salt and hot pepper sauce) equals 293 calories, 11 g fat (0 saturated fat), 82 mg cholesterol, 525 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 31 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat.
Southwestern Stew published in Taste of Home August/September 1996, p29