Beef Tenderloin (Part 3 - Beef Stroganoff)

One of my favorite dishes when I head out to Jerry's Deli in Westwood is the Beef Stroganoff. It's nothing special, just some egg noodles, beef and a delicious sauce flanked by an order of steamed broccoli. I think the broccoli is there so that I can feel better about intaking such a calorie/carb/fat laden dish.

You'll see, over the course of reading this food blog, that I like to take recipes and make them healthier. Sometimes it's a good move and other times, well, let's just say I should have left well enough alone.

Here is a classic Beef Stroganoff recipe from Back Of The Box courtesy of General Mills for those who are purists:

Classic Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin steak, about 1/2 inch thick
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 cups hot cooked egg noodles


Cut beef across grain into about 1 1/2x1/2-inch strips.

Cook mushrooms, onions and garlic in margarine in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender; remove from skillet.

Cook beef in same skillet until brown. Stir in 1 cup of the broth, the salt and Worcestershire sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Stir remaining 1/2 cup broth into flour; stir into beef mixture. Add onion mixture; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in sour cream; heat until hot (do not boil). Serve over noodles.

Makes 6 servings

Now, depending on what kind of diet you're on there are a number of substitutions to make this a much healthier dish.

First and foremost, regardless of what diet you're on you should make the following edits:

1. Substitute the 1/4 cup of margarine or butter for a just enough to coat the pan amount of olive oil or cooking spray. Reducing the fat and using good fat is always a good choice.

2. Replace the 1.5 cups of sour cream with fat free sour cream. Same great taste, less calories.

3. Use the lowest fat beef broth you can find. Go organic if you'd like.

Onto the options depending on your diet:

1. I know it might seem apparent to go ahead and substitute a lower fat meat than beef, but I'm not going to suggest this. If I were to do that, this recipe would cease to be a beef stroganoff. a. You could opt for grass fed beef. Supposedly it's power in cholesterol and saturated fats and higher in omega-3s. I'm no scientist, I just report what I've read.
b. Generally always use a loin or a round. They are the leanest cuts of meat. I won't tell you to use a grade that doesn't include marbling, marbling makes meat tender. I use tenderloin for my stroganoff.

2. Mushrooms a plenty. I love the stuff so I would even venture to double the mushrooms in this dish, much to my fiance's dismay. They cook down quick and small. I would even add some different varieties, if I was feeling adventurous. Button mushrooms can be boring, but shiitake mushrooms lend too strong a flavor. Stay in the mid range mild mushroom flavors and you'll be just fine.

3. Replace all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. This is arguable because the amount of flour to some people would be considered negligible and you have to use more whole wheat flour to thicken the same amount of sauce and in turn you still would only be getting a little bit more fiber in return for some more calories. But it's an option.

4. Noodles. Onto the coup de grace, substitutions for the oh so wonderful noodles. A good stroganoff to some is in the sauce, others it's in the meat and still for others it's in the noodles. Here are a few options for those who may be watching their fiber or their vegetable intake.
a. Go high fiber whole wheat egg noodles. You'll sacrifice a bit of the chewiness that makes stroganoff egg noodles so delicious, but the fiber will be worth it. Plus, you'll probably eat less and feel more full.
b. Go low carb and substitute your noodles for cauliflower. You basically trim down the cauliflower so that they form relatively thin rectangles while still keeping their structure, boil it for a few minutes, drain and toss in with your sauce. This is my preferred option because it keep the fiber up, calories down and helps me meet my daily vegetable intake.
c. Go low carb and go shirataki. There are currently shirataki noodles on the market that are high fiber and only 30 calories a package that mimic fettuccine and spaghetti noodle shapes. They are made from a yam and look like rice noodles. They stay chewy, almost too chewy, in any sauce, though some people argue there is an unpleasant smell to the noodles. Some people love them.