Guinness and Beef Stew

In honor of St. Patrick's Day...

Guinness and Beef Stew
an adaptation of a Cooking Light recipe

1 1/4 lb. lean stew beef, cut into 2" pieces
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbsp. tomato paste
4 c. fat-free low-sodium beef broth
1 (11.2 oz.) bottle Guinness
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1 tsp. thyme
5 carrots, cut into diagonal slices (or baby carrots)
5 red potatoes, cut into long strips
4 celery stalks, cut into long strips
1/2 lb. mushrooms, whole
2 tbsp. parsley

Heat a dutch oven/soup pot with olive oil in it over medium-high heat. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. salt on stew beef and dredge through flour. Brown the beef pieces on at least two sides (should take about 5 min.). It works best to cook half the beef at a time, and then place to the side. After all beef is cooked and out of the pan, add the onions to the pan and cook until translucent. Add tomato paste, Guinness, beef broth, caraway seeds, thyme and 1/2 tsp. salt. Deglaze the pan (scrape brown bits off the bottom and let become part of the broth). Return meat to the pan. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 1 hour, covered, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, potatoes, celery, mushrooms and parsley and bring to a boil. (The veggies will fit better in the pan once they're cooked a little, but if the liquid looks low, you can always add a little more beef broth.) Lower heat and simmer for an additional hour (or until veggies are tender). Serves 8