Chick'n Stew with Dumplings

With the arrival of Fall I've pulled out all of my warm and comforting recipes.  Big bowls of stew, soup and chili.  Casseroles and cottage pies are on the list as well.  Pumpkins and apples have already made an appearance in the forms of pies, soups and tarts.   Whether it's cosy sweaters and socks, apple picking, sitting by the fire slurping up hot stew and hunkering down for the long winter ahead, this time of year speaks to my heart.

When you want something warm and comforting and completely satisfying, even for the most hardcore omni this stew might be just the thing.  You can throw this together quickly and let it simmer all day in the Crock Pot and then just add the dumplings when you get home.  What a worknight treat. 

Chick'n Stew with Dumplings

2 T earth balance ( vegan margarine)
2 T olive oil
1 lg onion (chopped)
2 stalks celery ( chopped)
6 T flour
1/4 c good dry white wine (I used a chardonnay)
6 c un-chicken broth
1/2 c almond milk  
1 t sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 or 4 cups chopped seitan *
3 good sized carrots (sliced) 
3 potatoes (chopped)
12 oz cremini mushrooms (chopped)
1 c peas
1 c corn
2 bay leaves
1 t thyme
1/2 t sage

In a med. saucepan over med. heat,  heat  margarine and oil.  Add onions and celery and cook until onions are translucent.  Add flour and stir until it is mixed well with the vegetables.  It should start to turn slightly golden.  Slowly add the wine and broth, stirring all the time to eliminate lumps.  Add almond milk and salt and pepper, still stirring.  It should be thickening.  Taste and add more salt if necessary.  Add all of the remaining ingredients to your crockpot.  Pour the gravy over the top, stir.  Cover and set on high for 6 or 7 hours.  A half hour or so before you want to serve your stew prepare the dumplings. 

*could use any chicken sub you wanted to (tofu, tempeh, beyond meat or gardein strips,etc, or none at all!)

Dumplings

2 c flour
3 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
2 T earth balance (melted)
1 cup almond milk

Add flour, bp and salt to a bowl, add eb and milk and mix to make a soft dough.  Do not over mix.  Drop by spoonfuls into bubbling stew. Cover and simmer without lifting lid.  Cook for between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on the size of the dumplings, you want to be sure they are light and fluffy and cooked all the way through. 

Ladle into bowls and devour.  Although you might want to let it cool a bit.  ; )

Already sick and tired of winter in Maine....

We are having another blasted snow storm. The worse thing about this storm is that after almost a day of snowing it is now freezing rain. The weather man says that after it does this long enough to break power lines and tree limbs and make the roads a skating rink it is suppose to snow again. One thing that I am happy for is that I am currently unemployed and don't have to drive in this mess! Being stuck in the house gives me an oppurtunity to try out new recipes though. : ) Yesterday I came across a recipe for an African Sweet Potato Stew on Yummly.com. It sounded delicious and so became the inspiration for last nights dinner. Served with steaming hot brown rice it was, in fact, delicious.



African Sweet Potato Stew

2 T olive oil
1 1/2 - 2 T curry powder (start with the lesser amount and add more later if needed)
2 med/lg onions (diced)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
3 celery stalks (diced)
2 carrots (sliced)
1 cup red lentils ( washed and picked over)
6 cups vegetable broth
4 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (with the juice)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 t crushed red pepper flakes
2 cup green beans (chopped)
2 cups frozen chopped spinach (more if using fresh)
3 pounds sweet potatoes (diced)
1/2 cup coconut milk
salt and pepper

Add oil to large pot placed on med high heat. Add curry powder and stir until fragrant. Add onions, garlic, celery and carrots stirring occasionally until onions start to sweat and everything smells nice. Add red lentils and sweet potatoes and stir. Add broth, tomatoes with juice, peanut butter, cayenne pepper and crushed pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and stir until peanut butter is completely melted. Add green beans, spinach and mix in. Reduce heat to low and allow stew to simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add coconut milk, stir, and allow to simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over brown rice or jasmine rice.

This stew is seriously scrumptious! ; )

As promised...Hearty, Italian Inspired Seitan Stew

Italian Inspired Seitan Stew

about 1 1/2 lbs seitan cut into bite size pieces (recipe) store bought is fine but I love the flavor in the homemade
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup olive oil
large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced (with leaves)
2 good sized potatoes, diced
4 cups portabella mushrooms, chopped (cremini are also delicious)
1 cup peas
1 cup green beans, chopped
2 cups asparagus, chopped
4 cups fresh spinach
1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and cut into quarters
2 cups Burgundy
2 cups vegetable juice (v8 is not vegan R.W. Knudsen is)
4 cups water with 1 heaping tablespoon Better than Bouillon Vegetarian Base (or 4 cups of your favorite broth)
1 T parsley (more if you are using fresh)
2 t basil (more if you are using fresh)
1 t oregano (more if you are using fresh)
1 t thyme (more if you are using fresh)
2 bay leaves
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper

This recipe can be made on the stove or crock pot. I made it most recently in the crock pot and think that will be my way of choice from now on.

Toss seitan with flour until well coated. A zip-lock bag works well for this. Heat half the oil in a frying pan over med-high heat. Add the seitan and brown, turning often. Throw seitan in to the crock-pot. Add remaining oil and add onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute them until they just start to brown, you want to bring out the wonderful sweetness of the vegetables, be sure to scrape all of the delicious yummies from the bottom of the pan. Add veggies to the seitan in the crock-pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and give it a stir. Set the pot on low and cook for about 8 to 10 hours.

Perfect for a weeknight meal when you have to be away from home all day! Serve with a loaf of crusty bread to sop up the juices. This stew is a crowd pleaser

Italian inspired Seitan Stew is now in the crock-pot! Pair that with a giant loaf of crusty bread...yay, for no cooking tonight!

Simmer, simmer, while I am toiling away at work. I have started a new book and would love to come home tonight to the wonderful smell of delicious vegan stew...and know that I can sit back, relax and READ and a wonderful dinner is already underway! I love to use the crock-pot. I don't know why I don't use it more often. I will post a picture of the stew when it is finished and the recipe later!

Quick, take a picture before it is gone!

Last night I made a Seitan Stew for dinner. It was a new recipe I was trying out and as usual my family members were the guinea pigs. I called "dinner's ready" and pretty much as soon as the words were out of my mouth the pot was empty! Ok, I exaggerate a bit. But it did get eaten almost before I could snap a picture. I have to admit I wasn't sure about this one and it came out pretty darn good. I will post the recipe a little later.


After dinner I decided to bake something sweet. I have been playing with a Poppy Seed Bread/Cake recipe in my head for a while. So I wrote it down and gave it a go. The results were better than I expected. I baked it in two loaf pans but I bet it would be fabulous in a bundt pan.




Poppy Seed Bread/Cake

preheat oven to 350 f, grease and sugar two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 " loaf pans.

2 1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 T baking powder
1 1/4 cup almond milk
3/4 oil
1 T vanilla
1/4 poppy seeds
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup agave (I used agave but after reading about the dangers of it I will substitute rice syrup next time)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 t cinnamon
3 T flax meal

Put poppy seeds, water, agave, raisins, nuts, cinnamon and flax meal in a small pan. Cook on med high heat, stirring continuously until all water is absorbed and it is thick, bubbly and gooey.

Put flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir with a fork to incorporate the baking powder well with the flour. Add the wet ingredients and the poppy seed mixture to the flour and mix well. Divide batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 50 to 55 minutes.


ps...all of my pictures have been taken with my cell phone...so they are not great, please keep that in mind if something looks more orangey than should be.