Beef and Veggie Stew

Its getting colder, and i had a bunch of stewing beef to use, so i made this beef and veggie soup.  It takes a little while to make, but not as long as most soups.  You could also make this one pretty easily in a slow cooker.

Servings: 12
Prep time: 2-3 hours

Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth, undiluted (i just added more bullion and water)
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 6 medium potatoes, quartered
• 6 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (you could use any kind of pepper really)
• mushrooms, celery, etc
• red pepper, curry (if you want to spice it up a bit)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or cornstarch)
• 3 tablespoons cold water

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, brown meat in salad dressing over medium heat. Add the next 10 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours or until meat is tender.  Skim the fat off that boils to the top. Add the potatoes, carrots, green pepper, onion, mushrooms and spices. 
2. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Combine flour and cold water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Discard bay leaf before serving.