Serve warm evening Halloween meal of beef stew

• Autum Beef and Cider Stew

Autum Beef and Cider Stew (South Dakota Beef Industry Council photo)

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Autumn leaves are falling and Halloween is just around the corner. During the fall season, many of us are looking for quick and easy recipes that also provide hearty nutrition to help fuel an active, healthy lifestyle.

This Halloween, try something different. Instead of focusing on candy corn and sweets, invite family and friends over for a warm evening meal. Encourage children to help prepare the meal and have some fun while creating it. Don’t miss out on opportunities to teach children how to cook healthful meals, and the importance of incorporating nutrient-rich ingredients in them.

Did you know that many children may be missing out on key nutrients such as iron and zinc? In fact, 60 percent of girls aged 12-19 are not meeting the recommended iron needs and 47 percent of boys the same age are not meeting the recommended zinc needs, according to the Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals. Among healthy school-aged children, increasing zinc intake has been demonstrated to improve cognitive performance, visual memory and word recognition task as well as attention skills.

Research also shows that iron deficiencies may affect learning abilities in school-aged children

Beef is a naturally nutrientrich, powerhouse food. On average, a 3-ounce serving of lean beef is about 150 calories. It’s an excellent source of six nutrients (protein, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, niacin, and selenium) and a good source of four nutrients (phosphorous, choline, iron and riboflavin)

This Autumn Beef and Cider Stew is one of my favorite fall meals. It’s easy to prepare, especially if you are expecting company. It combines savory fall flavors and is full of nutrition for trick-or-treaters.

Holly Swee is the director of nutrition and consumer information for the South Dakota Beef Industry Council. Write to her at hswee@sdbeef.org

Autumn Beef and Cider Stew

Ingredients

2 pounds beef for stew, cut into 1 to 1-1/2-inch pieces

2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 can (10-1/2 ounces) condensed French onion soup

1 cup apple cider

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)

1/3 cup unsweetened dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in stockpot over medium heat until crisp; remove with slotted spoon to paper-towel-lined plate.

Brown 1/2 of beef in bacon drippings over medium heat; remove from stockpot.

Repeat with remaining beef; season with salt and pepper.

2. Return beef and bacon to stockpot.

Add soup and cider; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 1-3/4 hours.

3. Add sweet potatoes and cranberries to stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; continue simmering, covered, 20 to 30 minutes or until beef and potatoes are fork-tender.

Total recipe time: 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Makes 4 to 6 servings.