It was a cold and dreary day here in the Pacific Northwest – and that can only mean one thing….
It’s time for Stew!
A Harvest Vegetable Stew to be exact, with tons of healthy starches surrounded by a rich, decadent broth.
Dr John McDougall would be proud….
Butternut Squash
Parsnips
Red Potatoes
Green Apples
Portabella Mushrooms
Carrots
Celery
Leeks
Yum, and with a big hunk of fresh baked bread, right out of the oven?
Puleeeeze.
Harvest Vegetable Stew
True story :
I was at the grocery store buying my veggies for this stew and had to help the checkout gal by identifying the Parsnips and Leeks for her.
checkout gal: What is this?
me: That’s a Leek.
cg: What do you do with it?
me: It’s like an onion, only milder
cg: Huh…never heard of them…….and what’s this thing?
me: That’s a parsnip
cg: And what do you do with it?
me: Eat it! It’s like a fancy carrot…..
I simply cannot believe how many younger folks don’t know their basic vegetables anymore. I mean seriously.
If they only knew that there was a whole world of healthy, nutritious food out there – just waiting for them to try (providing it’s not deep fried that is…..)
Roasting the Vegetables without Oil
The vegetables in this stew are absolutely full of healthy nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants – not to mention they taste amazing together after a quick roast in the oven.
And that’s exactly how I started this stew – by roasting my vegetables.
I peeled and chopped a parsnip, 1 granny smith apple, 3 red potatoes, a handful of baby carrots, and the top of a butternut squash and then tossed them in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of veggie broth and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning and mix by hand until they are all coated evenly.
You notice I used no oil.
Yep, you don’t need oil to roast vegetables – they still turn out perfectly cooked and super yummy.
But it is important to chop all your veggies uniform in size so everything cooks evenly. I chopped them to about 3/4 of an inch in size. Spread them evenly on a large baking sheet (parchment paper if you wish) and bake for 30 minutes at 450 degrees.
The Stew Base
While the veggies are roasting in the oven, let’s get the stew base started.
Chop 1 leek (the white part) and a couple of cloves of garlic and add them to your stew pot with a splash of veggie broth. Gently saute until softened and then add 2 8oz containers of fresh mushrooms (white button and baby bella).
Add in 2 tablespoons of your favorite low-sodium soy sauce and let that cook down.
Warning: The heavenly smell wafting throughout your house will soon have everyone running to the kitchen to investigate….be prepared.
Once the mushrooms have cooked down, it’s time to add in our broth.
The Broth
Add 3 cups of low-sodium veggie broth, 1 can of no salt added diced tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of red wine. The wine really adds a richness and amazing flavor to this stew so I can’t recommend it enough, but for those that cannot have it just add some more broth or water.
By now we should be ready to add in our roasted veggies. Stir well until combined. I also added in a handful of fresh green beans just for the color and some extra crunch.
Seasoning
Affiliate Link to Amazon.com
I use Kitchen Bouquet in many of my recipes, especially stews and gravies, and many of you have asked where you can buy it. I can always find it in my grocery store next to the A1 Sauce and Worcestershire. If you can’t find it – it just adds mostly color so you can leave it out.
Or you could buy it on Amazon – it’s a little spendy buying it online, but it is there. As always, I’ll provide a link if you’re interested and yes, this is an affiliate link so I will make a few pennies if you buy it. (have to say that – legal stuff and all)
Harvest Vegetable Stew
To finish this off, we’re going to thicken it a bit by adding 2 tablespoons of corn starch to 2 tablespoons of hot water and stirring it into a slurry, than adding it into the stew.
Simmer for 10-15 minutes or so and it should thicken up nicely.
Dinner is served my friends, a rich hearty meal that even the non-vegan members in your family will love and appreciate.
It’s a Hungry Man kind of stew, thick and rich with lots of big chunks of veggies to chew on.
Hope you family enjoys it as much as mine.
Until next time…..
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Total time: 1 hour 30 mins
Serves: 12 servings
- 3 Red Potatoes
- 1 Parsnip
- Top of a Butternut Squash
- 1 Granny Smith Apple
- 2-3 oz Baby Carrots (1/4 small bag)
- 1 Leek
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 Celery Stalk
- 8oz White Button Mushrooms
- 8oz Baby Bella Mushrooms
- 2T Soy Sauce, low sodium variety
- 3 cups Vegetable Broth (low sodium)
- 15oz can Diced Tomatoes (no salt added)
- ½ cup Red Wine
- Small handful fresh Green Beans
- 1T Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp Thyme
- ½ tsp Kitchen Bouquet Browning Sauce
- ¼ tsp Ground Pepper
- 2T Cornstarch
- Chop parsnip, potatoes, squash, and apple to ¾" pieces and add to large bowl,
- Add in baby carrots, 1T Balsamic, 1T Veg Broth, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning and toss to coat
- Spread evenly on baking sheet (parchment paper if you like) and roast in 450 degree oven for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile saute leek and garlic in a large stew pot until softened
- Add mushrooms and soy sauce and simmer over medium heat until they have cooked down and reduced in size
- Add broth, tomatoes, and wine and stir to combine
- Add in roasted veggies and green beans and stir to combine
- Add all the seasonings and stir to combine
- Simmer over medium low heat for 30 min or so to blend all the flavors
- Mix the corn starch with 2T hot water and mix into stew
- Simmer until thickened
