Beef Tips w/Red Wine Sauce

This was one of my own creations tonight; I decided to toss the recipes out the door and see what I could do. Honestly, after tasting it, I realized there are definitely things I need to tweak, but that's the beauty of cooking. Rarely do I ever get a dish perfect (or, let's be honest, even close) on my first try. I'll make them again and again, knowing what to add or what not to add, and how much of any ingredient I should use. But it was a pretty tasty dinner, regardless, and for only 423 calories (served with rice), it tasted even better!

Here are tonight's ingredients, with my recipe following:

• 8 oz top sirloin (lean, cut into small pieces)
• 1 medium garlic clove, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• beef broth (about 1/2 cup)
• red wine (about 1/2 cup, I used a Shiraz)
• fresh parsley, dried
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Season beef tips with salt and pepper. Coat a large skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add garlic and beef tips. Cook for a total of 6 minutes, turning the beef tips after 3 minutes, or stirring occasionally; remove from skillet with slotted spoon. Turn heat to high and add about a half-cup of red wine to deglaze the pan, then add about a half-cup of beef broth. Reduce by half. Add beef tips back into skillet and stir for about 1 minute, then add 1/2 tbsp of butter and stir until melted. Serve beef tips with a side of your choice (I chose long-grain brown and red rice cooked in beef broth) and spoon red wine sauce over beef (and side item(s), if you prefer). Serves two.

Chop fresh parsley and sprinkle over beef tips, and use it also as a plate garnish. I used dried parsley and broke it up into smaller pieces, but chopped parsley would look a little neater.

And remember, when cooking with wine, be sure to pour a couple of glasses to enjoy with your dinner!