Lamb Stew with Hazelnut Butter and Dates

Ground hazelnuts flavor and thicken this sweet, rich stew. Dried fruits add sweetness to the flavor, so cut back on the dates if you want a more savory stew. Serve over couscous or rice.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 2/3  cup  coarsely chopped hazelnuts, toasted
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2  pounds  lean lamb stew meat, cubed
• 2 1/2  cups  chopped onion
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground allspice
• 1/4  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 3  garlic cloves, crushed
• 2  (14 1/2-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 1/2  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed peeled turnips (about 1 pound)
• 2 1/2  cups  small red potatoes, halved (about 1 pound)
• 1 1/2  cups  baby carrots, peeled
• 1/2  cup  whole pitted dates, chopped
• 2  cups  water
• 1 1/2  cups  frozen green peas

Preparation

Place hazelnuts in a food processor; process until smooth (about 2 1/2 minutes), scraping sides of bowl once.

Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over high heat. Add lamb; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (onion through garlic); sauté 7 minutes or until onion is lightly browned.

Add hazelnut butter and broth to pan; stir well, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in turnips, potatoes, carrots, dates, and 2 cups water; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until lamb is tender and sauce has thickened. Stir in peas; simmer 5 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

361 (29% from fat)

Fat:

11.8g (sat 2.5g,mono 6.7g,poly 1.4g)

Protein:

28.4g

Carbohydrate:

36.7g

Fiber:

608g

Cholesterol:

69mg

Iron:

3.8mg

Sodium:

518mg

Calcium:

65mg