Disco Stew

Somehow I did not get the GORGEOUS, Marilyn's-lipstick-esque, vivacious color of soup that the always brilliant Have Cake, Will Travel did, but I suspect she may have either used a) magenta beer (brilliant and deviant, you!), or b) the diced tomatoes of a thousand virgins. And alas, I had neither in my cupboard at home. I *did*, however, have a lager from the Brooklyn Brewery, so that's what got belly-flopped into this recipe.

And, as Have Cake, Will Travel stated when posting it, it definitely is a recipe that gets richer and more flavorful the longer it sits (so give it like 32 weeks, and perhaps it'll have turned into pure gold! Or pure sex! Or Julian Casablancas! Mmmmm. Julian Casablancas... Um... I'll be right back. Must use, um, the facilities...)




Ok. Back.

Anyways, this was a very yummy stew. The only thing I was confused about is the fact that mine had very little broth in it (in comparison to the picture Have Cake, Will Travel posted). But perhaps I just accidentally bought the Super-Absorbent Tempeh without realizing it. Regardless: as the brisk November weather creeps in, you'll definitely want to be checking this out.

*AND* what made this stew even more fun is that I got to take it to work for lunch all week and amuse myself by thinking about the fact that I was downing beer for lunch. Alas--not nearly enough, mind you. But beer nonetheless!

Oh, and ps. Best name for a recipe EVER, HCWT!


INGREDIENTS:

• 2 T. peanut oil [other oil works fine]


• 1/3 c. chopped white onion


• 2 cloves garlic, pressed


• 1 big Russet potato, brushed clean, peeled, chopped in small pieces


• 1 8-oz package of tempeh, chopped in small bits


• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes [undrained]


• 2 T. chili powder


• 2 t. ground cumin


• 1/2 t. dried oregano


• 1 squirt agave nectar [about 1 t.]


• 1 14-oz can kidney beans [drained and rinsed]


• 1/3 c. frozen green peas


• 1 c. vegetable broth


• 1 12oz beer bottle [your choice which kind]

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium high for a minute. Add the onion and garlic, and let cook for a minute. Add the potato and tempeh, and let cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, spices, nectar, beans, peas, broth, and beer. Bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes or until potato bits are tender.

(Original recipe from Have Cake, Will Travel)

Fire-roasted Quinoa and Black Beans

On Sunday, I decided to finally whip up Life Among the Trees' Quinoa and Black Bean Dish that I'd been eyeing for some time so that I'd have something for lunch all week. And let me tell you--it's fricking easy as all get out *AND* it tastes good *AND* (yes, I know you saw it coming) it uses Muir Glen's fire-roasted tomatoes. So seriously: how could you go wrong with this?

I only made two modifications to the recipe (mostly because I wanted to try to make it more soupy than dense--the end result was kind of borderline between the two) and that was to use canned corn and to use only ONE 15-oz can of black beans. It leaves the dish very potently tomatoey, but I likey.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 t. vegetable oil


• 1 onion, chopped


• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped


• 3/4 c. uncooked quinoa


• 1 1/2 c. vegetable broth


• 1 large can of fire-roasted tomatoes


• 1 t. ground cumin


• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper


• salt and pepper to taste


• 1 c. corn kernels (I used canned)


• 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained


• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)


• A dollop of vegan sour cream per serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth and fire-roasted tomatoes. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,

Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro. Top with vegan sour cream.

Autumn Harvest Stew

Let me preface this by saying this is the most fantastic stew I've ever had. And I do not exaggerate.

After making the VwaV stew last week, I realized I'm sorta all hopped up on the approach of fall, and, as a consequence, all hopped up on soup and stew recipes. So I bumped around on the internet, googling autumn stews. And lo and behold, it took me to my favorite Fatfreevegan recipe site. And lo and behold, they had this interesting sounding little gem on there.

I had my doubts initially--pumpkin? With tomotoes? And HOMINY? All in the same thing?

But holy crap, was I wrong.

The stew tastes exactly like autumn. It is spicy, the kind of spicy that warms you up from deep inside your belly and radiates out (like a pair of warm mittens) until your body is just humming with toasty goodness. It is also very rich and aromatic--thank heaven for Indian-spices. But it's also got a delicate sweetness to it, courtesy of the sweet potatoes and the molasses. Definitely don't underestimate its fiery kick though (once you start adding the chili powder in, you'll go into shock, muttering to yourself, Really? THAT MUCH chili powder?!?)...

Not only does it taste just like autumn, it also radiates with the fiery and brilliant colors of autumn as well, as you can see from the pictures. Almost every autumn color is represented there: the celery as the green of leaves not yet turned, the fenugreek as the sparkling gold of brilliantly sunny yellow leaves, the sweet potatoes as the lovely mellow orangey-hued ones that have fallen to the ground, the pumpkin as the feisty jack-o-lanterns grinning from everyone's front porches, the tomatoes and spices as the fiery red, fiercely burning autumnal branches, and the black beans as the dark and loamy earth after a full autumn's rain. Absolutely beautiful.

This dish is fantastically tasty and gorgeous to look at, and it's also really damn simple and low-in-fat.

The only major changes I made were to omit the asafoetida and (I just realized I forgot the last step) the lemon. I wouldn't change a damn thing, other than this. Not a damn thing.

I just cannot possibly gush any more about this stew than I already have--definitely one of the best recipes I've stumbled across in a long long time. Go run out and cook it! NOW! What are you waiting for?!?!?

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 c. onions


• 2 T. sautéing liquid (I just used water)


• 1 c. chopped celery


• 1/4 c. garlic (I used moreso around 1/8 c.)


• 1 T. molasses


• 28-oz. can diced tomatoes


• 16-oz. can mashed pumpkin


• 3 c. black beans, cooked


• 1 c. water


• 1 c. chopped sweet potato


• 1 c. white hominy, not drained


• 1 1/2 t. salt


• 1 1/2 t. cumin


• 1 1/2 T. chili powder


• 1 t. crushed red pepper


• 1/4 t. fenugreek powder


• 1/4 t. coriander


• 1 t. ginger powder

DIRECTIONS:
Sauté onions in liquid until softened. Add remaining ingredients except lemon juice and cook. Add lemon juice. Cook until thick and sweet potato pieces are soft.

from The Fat-Free Vegan