thick | Delightful-Delicious-Delovely

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

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I have posted a beef stew before – my Easy Vegetarian (Vegan) Irish Stew for a Slow Cooker – from almost exactly three years ago but this current one is superior. It is superior due to my just getting better at vegan stews & a higher quality vegan meat. I am all about Beyond Meat – and I think it is the best on the market – but they don’t offer certain things. In this case – I wanted cubes of beef – and Beyond Meat only offers a ground beef. So – I decided to use both Beyond Meat’s Beefy Crumbles and Gardein’s Beefless Tips – which were wonderful in my Vegan Spicy Ginger-Garlic Red Pepper Beef Steak with Vegetable Fried Cauliflower Rice – seen just below. I used one bag of each in this stew. If you really want to ratchet up the presence of the beef – double up on one or both of these – or use your own favorite faux beef.

There are about an infinity of ingredients in this stew – most of which can be eliminated without a negative impact on this dish. I happened to have all but mushrooms, an onion & carrots on hand. If you are missing an ingredient or two (or three) – I think you will still like the results.

I used those vegetarian bouillon cubes above but I am going to stop buying them. They contain palm oil & an obscene sodium content so – I will be moving on to Better Than Bouillon, when my supply of these runs out.

I served my stew over mashed cauliflower. When I was done eating – I mixed the leftover mashed cauliflower directly into the stew. This had the effect of making it seem thicker & denser – but it is just cauliflower – so it actually lightens the dish up.

**NOTE – I made this in a slow cooker (on high) while I hiked. It was pretty much done when I returned 2 1/2 hours later. You could make this just as easily stove top – maybe in less time. Just bring to a boil & simmer until the veggies are cooked. To thicken it – return it to a boil. Whisk 1/4 cup cornstarch into some hot water & add to the boiling stew. It should thicken nicely. If not – do it again. Add water if it gets too thick.

Hearty Vegan Beef & Vegetable Stew for the Slow Cooker

Serves 6 or more

INGREDIENTS (VERY flexible – both in what you use & quantity)

Olive oil (or the cooking oil of your choice)

1 (9 oz) vegan ground beef (or more) – I recommend Beyond Meat

1 package (or more) of Gardein Beefless Tips (or your favorite vegan cubed steak)

1 onion – diced

2 Portobello mushroom – cut up (or whatever mushrooms you prefer)

4 carrots – sliced

2 jalapenos – diced (optional)

1-2 cups cubed white-fleshed potato of any variety (I don’t peel my potatoes)

1 small sweet potato – cubed (I don’t peel my potatoes)

2 celery stalks – chopped

4 radishes – cubed (I only used them because I had them so they are very optional)

2 tomatoes – diced (or a cup of canned diced tomatoes)

2-6 garlic cloves – minced

5 cups vegetable stock

1 cup dry red wine (optional) – or another cup of stock

6 oz lima beans (I used frozen)

1-2 cups peas (I used frozen)

1 cup corn (I used frozen)

1/4 cup pasta sauce (I used Rao’s but you can use your favorite or omit it)

1 TBS Bragg’s liquid aminos OR soy sauce OR tamari

1 TBS dry mustard

1 TBS vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 TBS Kitchen Bouquet (seasoning available in the spice aisle or near gravy ingredients)

Few squirts Maggi (seasoning available in the spice aisle or near gravy ingredients)

1 tsp smoked (or regular) paprika

2 bay leaves

6 whole coves

1 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)

1/4 cup corn starch (or more)

S&P

DIRECTIONS

I really prefer slow cooker recipes that require ZERO prep. Recipes where you just dump the shit into the cooker & go away. But – I really wanted a stew-like flavor here so – I thought cooking the onions & bringing their flavor – & the flavor of the sauteed mushrooms were important. Also – browning the steak cubes assists in the visual presentation. You could certainly just dump it all in & would probably be just as happy with the result. Your call.

So – heat 2 TBS or so of oil & saute the onions & the beef cubes. When the onions start to brown. Add the garlic & saute one minute. Add the wine (or stock) and quickly deglaze the pan. Put this into the slow cooker.

In the same pan, add another TBS or so of oil & saute the mushrooms until they begin to sear. Deglaze the pan with a tiny bit of water & add the mushrooms to the slow cooker.

If you are going stove top – do the steps above & then put those things & the rest of the ingredients (EXCEPT THE CORNSTARCH) into a huge stock pot, bring to a boil & simmer until the vegetables are tender – not more than 1/2 hour. To thicken it – return it to a boil. Whisk 1/4 cup cornstarch into some hot water & add to the boiling stew. It should thicken nicely. If not – do it again. Add water if it gets too thick. Season with S&P.

If you are slow cooking it – dump the rest of the ingredients (EXCEPT THE CORNSTARCH) into the slow cooker & leave it covered & on high for 3 hours or so. To thicken it – remove the lid. Whisk 1/4 cup cornstarch into some hot water & add to the boiling stew. It should thicken nicely. If not – do it again. Leave the top off until it thickens. Add water if it gets too thick. Season with S&P.

Serve over rice or mashed potatoes or – as I did – over mashed cauliflower. When I was done eating – I mixed the leftover mashed cauliflower directly into the stew. This had the effect of making it seem thicker & denser – but it is just cauliflower – so it actually lightens the dish up.

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

Follow @celisemccarthy

To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

Here is the Wikipedia definition of “kootu:”

Kootu is a Tamil word means ‘add’ i.e.vegetable added with lentils which form the dish, made of vegetable and lentils and are semi-solid in consistency, i.e., less aqueous than sambhar, but more so than dry curries. Virundhu Sappadu (Typical Tamil feast) comes with the combo of boiled rice (‘Choru’ in Tamil), sambar, rasam, curd, poriyal, kootu, appalam, pickle and banana. All kootus by default have some vegetables and lentils, but many variations of kootu exist.

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I am a big fan of vegan curries – especially those with lots of “sauce” and even more so if they are made in a slow cooker. This recipe is simple with no exotic ingredients & feeds a LOT of people. I made this in a 7-quart Crock Pot & nearly filled the thing. It makes enough to feed a dozen people if served with rice. I ate it for lunch every day & froze a bunch. You can do this or cut the recipe down. I just developed an urgent passion to use ALL the produce I had in my house this week & I had 4 pounds of carrots – so this kootu.