Cider-Braised Beef

It's cold out. It's going to snow. A lot. Sounds like a good night for some serious comfort food, Weight Watchers style.

On tonight's menu: Cider-Braised Beef with Root Vegetables

(adapted from Weight Watcher's Healthy Cooking Basics)

2 pounds beef bottom round roast, trimmed
salt
black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup unsweetened apple cider
1 cup dry red wine
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
3 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
2 onions, cut into wedges
2 tsp dried thyme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium high heat. Add beef and sear on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add cider and wine and garlic, and bring to boil. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and bake for 1 hour, turning once halfway through.

Stir in vegetables and thyme. Cover and bake until beef and vegetables are tender, about 2 hours. Transfer beef to cutting board and let cool for about 10 minutes. Cut into 16 slices and serve with vegetables and broth.

Please note: I did not include Point Value here because I tweaked the recipe and don't want to get in trouble with the powers that be at Weight Watchers. Let's just say that a serving of one slice of beef with a half cup of vegetables and broth (like in the photo above) is roughly 5 points.