I know the fake meat products aren’t the best for you, but from time to time they really hit the spot. Gardein makes particularly good products and they tend to be low(ish) in calories as well. I like these “beefless” tips for a nice stew:

This stew is delish with portobello mushrooms, but I didn’t have any this evening, so I made it with a few cans of sliced mushrooms, and it tasted just dandy.

Portobello and Faux Beef Stew

75 ml (1/3 cup) all-purpose flour
2 ml (1/2 tsp) each salt and dried thyme
1 ml (1/4 tsp) each pepper and crushed dried rosemary
2 pkg. Gardein Beefless Tips (frozen)
30 ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil
125 ml (1/2 cup) chopped leeks (white part only), shallots or onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 l (4 cups) coarsely chopped portobello mushrooms (2.5-cm/1-inch chunks)
625 ml (2 1/2 cups) vegetable stock
125 ml (1/2 cup) dry red wine
15 ml (1 tbsp) tomato paste
30 to 45 ml (2 to 3 tbsp) cold water

In a shallow bowl, combine flour, salt, thyme, pepper and rosemary. Coat
beefless cubes lightly with flour mixture, reserving any remaining mixture to
thicken stew.

In a Dutch oven or stockpot heat oil over medium heat. Brown frozen beefless tips on all sides in batches. Remove to a covered dish. Add leeks, garlic and mushrooms to the pan; cook until leeks are softened, about 5 minutes.

Gradually stir in broth, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Stir
in wine and tomato paste; mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover
and simmer for  a few minutes.

Whisk 30 to 45 ml (2 to 3 tbsp) cold water into reserved flour mixture
until smooth. Gradually whisk into bubbling stew; cook, stirring, until
thickened. Add the beefless tips, stir, and serve over brown rice rotini noodles.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

I served it over brown basmati rice, but It’s actually better over brown rice rotini.