Witch's Stew: An Oldie, But a Goodie

Hey peeps -

Below is a post I wrote about a year ago just before Halloween '09. It bears repeating, because it contains a fabulous recipe for stew, just in time for Halloween on Sunday. I hope you will enjoy it as much I have and will this weekend, and if you end up making it yourself, shoot me an email with pics please!

A very Happy Halloween to each and every one of you!!!

In honor of this super fun holiday, I am sharing my Witch's Stew recipe!

Every single year at Halloween, I would come home from school with the scent of pumpkin candles and my mom's Witch's Stew wafting through the house. Witch's Stew was really just my mom's beef stew, but the name gave it a deliciously magical touch. Last year, I tried to re-create this stew, but I was a very new vegan, so it wasn't quite what I had wanted. So, this year, I decided to be bold and improvise my own recipe, and I ended up creating the perfect autumn stew to warm anybody's heart (especially a cow's heart, since there's no cow in my recipe!).

Keeping warm in the crockpot...

 

And it's ready!

 

Steve approves.

WITCH'S STEW

serves many people :)

2 packages West Soy Stir Fry Strips or Seitan Strips, pulled apart into chunks

(you can also substitute beans, tofu, or tempeh for this)

1-2 lbs. red bliss potatoes, chopped into quarters

5-6 large carrots (with their skin left on), chopped or sliced

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finally chopped

1 bag frozen peas

4 c. vegetable broth or stock

3 tbsp. Earth Balance margarine (or cooking oil)

2 vegetable boullion cubes mixed with 2 c. boiling water

1 c. un-bleached flour, mixed with 1 tbsp. onion powder and 1 tbsp. garlic powder

1/2 tbsp. thyme

1/2 tbsp. sage

1 c. un-bleached flour, mixed with 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 c. water

1. Dredge Seitan Strips in flour/onion powder/garlic powder mixture.

2. Heat Earth Balance or oil in a large pan or stockpot over medium heat. Toss in strips and cook until heated through and slightly browned.

3. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add vegetable broth, vegetable boullion/boiled water mixture, potatoes, onions, and carrots. Allow to cook for at least 35-40 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are mostly cooked through.

5. Add frozen peas, thyme, and sage and mix well. Add flour/soy sauce/water mixture slowly, and stir well - this is to thicken the stew sauce, so go slowly, as to not over-thicken. Allow to cook for 10-15 more minutes, or until peas are completely heated through.

5. Transfer stew to a crockpot and place crockpot setting to "Low". (this is an optional step, so that you can store the stew in the crockpot for future use) 

And the most important step:

Make a cackling witch-y sound, pick up your spoon, and get to it!!!

May everyone have a safe, fun, silly, crazy, and Happy Halloween!