Crock Pot- Beef Stew With Red Wine and Herb Dumplings

Tasty!!

• Ready In: 10 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  lean stewing beef, in 1 inch pieces
• 4  carrots, in 1/2 inch slices
• 2  onions, sliced
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme
• 1  teaspoon dry mustard
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 cup beef broth or 3⁄4 cup dry red wine
• 8  sliced mushrooms
• 14 1⁄2 ounces diced tomatoes with juice

• For the Herb Dumplings

• 2  cups white flour
• 4  teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 4  tablespoons butter or 4  tablespoons margarine
• 1  cup 2% low-fat milk
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried chives

Directions

1. Preparation:
2. Combine the beef, carrots, onions, tomatoes, thyme, pepper, mustard, mushrooms, and wine or beef broth.
3. If you are using wine, use all the salt.
4. If you are using beef broth you might not need it depending on the saltiness of the broth so taste it to see.
5. Cover and cook on a low heat for 8 to 10 hours or a high heat for 4 or 5 hours.
6. The vegetables and beef will become tender.
7. Combine the flour and water and stir this slowly into the beef stew.
8. For Herb Dumplings.
9. Combine flour, baking powder, sage, rosemary, thyme, chives and salt in a bowl.
10. Cut in butter that's been kept at room temperature or use soft margarine.
11. Stir milk lightly into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon and adjust amounts to make sure that you have a moist dumpling dough.
12. Drop spoonfuls of the dough on to the hot beef stew, then cover allow to cook on high for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the herb dumplings comes out clean.
13. Do not overcook dumplings. Dumplings may disintegrate if left to cook too long.