Getting My Irish (Stew) Up

It snowed here last night - absolutely beautiful to wake up to (especially since I work from home). But with the snow came a cold spell, so even though I was saving this recipe for St. Patrick's Day, I'm figuring today's a good day for it.

I can't take credit for this one entirely - the original showed up in a Vegetarian Times issue not long ago. But I've made it my own with a few changes while trying to stick closely to the original (because it really was so darned good). Full credit to VT for the idea.

Irish Stew

Nonfat cooking spray
1 tub Ray's Wheat Meat (or your favorite seitan)
2 carrots, sliced
1 Tbl. flour
4 slices Fakin' bacon, sliced into strips (I use one that looks like Canadian bacon)
1 tsp. fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (use fresh if you can)
1 cup stout beer (I use Belhaven Scottish Ale, but Guinness works, as does any good brown ale)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup butternut squash, cubed,
OR
1 Yukon potato, cubed (I prefer the potato)
1/2 cup frozen edamame

Spray a soup pot with oil and heat. Stir in carrots and cook for about 5 minutes. (add a little water if it begins to stick, but not more than a few Tbls.) Add flour and cook for 2 minutes.

Add seitan (without draining), bacon, and thyme. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add beer and bring to a boil. As it boils, scrape the bottom of the pan frequently. I tend to reduce the liquid to a little over 1/2 cup. Add broth and potato/squash. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add edamame and cook 5-10 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.


I serve this with mashed or boiled potatoes. Because you add flour to this, it usually gets thick enough to serve on a plate.

Meat eaters - this one's easy to convert. Just substitute beef cubes for the seitan.

What a Crock!

I did it - I broke down and bought a crock pot. My third one in my life, the other two disappearing after divorce and moves here and there. I can honestly say my last one - a massive Rival with removable crock - just vanished. I have no idea where it is now. But at the time I figured I'd probably not use it again, so I forgot about it.

But something strange is happening - people are beginning to use crock pots again. Not just a little, either. Pick up any food magazine and you'll see recipes for crockpot dinners, breakfasts, etc. I caved in yesterday when I picked up a veggie cookbook and there was an entire section on crock pot meals. I can't ignore that!

I'm glad I didn't. For some things, crock pots are great. They allow food to cook slowly, bringing out even more flavor in the ingredients. Yesterday's experiment was a new twist on an old favorite - Lentil Soup. I tried some new ingredients to give it a bit more oomph in the flavor department. This is now on our list of favorites.

Crockpot Lentil Stew

1 Tbl. olive oil
1 cup brown lentils
3 carrots, sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup cubed butternut squash
1 c. red wine
2 cups vegetable broth
1 to 2 cups water
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence

Saute onions and carrots in olive oil until onions begin to soften. Add wine and saute until wine is reduced to at least half a cup. Pour into crock pot. Add broth, water, squash, herbs, and lentils and stir. Cook on high for 4-5 hours (or switch to low and cook longer if yours tends to burn everything). Season with salt and pepper.

Why Vegetarian?

My poor mother. For years she's been worried about me, concerned I'm nutritionally bankrupt because I don't eat meat. "But what do you eat?" she beseeches, trying to understand how anyone could shy away from a t-bone steak for any other reason than the price.

It's okay. I understand her confusion. Had anyone asked me ten or twenty years ago if I'd stop eating meat, I'd have laughed and said "Pass the steak sauce." But here I am, a lifelong carnivore, and I'm living quite well without meat on my plate.

Don't worry - I don't preach my cause to anyone who doesn't want to hear it. That's not why I'm here. I'm here to share recipes and tips with other cooks, carnivore and otherwise. I won't try converting you by browbeating you or demeaning your personal choice. That's just wrong no matter what your ideals are.

I will give you the explanation that I feel much better, much healthier, and I haven't been sick in ages. I do attribute diet to that. Whether it's lack of meat or lack of processed foods, who can tell? But I made a choice eight years ago to try this vegetarian thing. After a few false starts, I learned how to cook vegetarian, which if you're first starting out, that's the hardest thing to overcome.

So stick around. Let's share recipes! To you non-vegetarians, please feel free to post your recipes here in the comments section. Many times we vegetarians can adapt a recipe to make it meatless (unless it's pot roast or braised pork chops, but you get the idea). If you have questions, ask! It's just me and my recipes and my hope that you'll find some of them just as delicious as a meal containing meat.

Oh, the ground rules - sorry, gotta have them. No sniping. No one - and I mean no one - who is either vegetarian or not, is welcome to pass judgment on anyone here for their choices or preach or attack. Any of that is considered out of bounds and not cool at all. This is neutral territory for everyone. I'm keeping comments open, but if things get ugly (and I trust you guys), I'll moderate them.

Let me start with one of my favorites - stew baked in a pumpkin. I saw a version of this in the latest Vegetarian Times magazine, but I have a different way of approaching it.

Stew Baked in a Pumpkin

1 4-6 lb. cooking pumpkin
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
2/3 c. edamame
1 1/3 c. frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, beans, and corn)
1/3 c. red wine
½ c. vegetable broth
2 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz. seitan, cut into pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat oil in soup pot and add celery, carrots, onion and red pepper. Cook until soft. Add red wine and reduce. Add vegetable broth, edamame, mixed vegetables and seitan and cook until broth is reduced and absorbed. Note: make sure there is very little liquid left. The pumpkin has more than enough as it cooks. Don't worry - it's not going to dry out!

Clean seeds and strings from pumpkin and lid, saving lid. Rub inside with 1 Tbs. oil and sprinkle with salt. Add cheese to bottom of pumpkin. Add stew (should be thick, not watery) to pumpkin. Replace pumpkin lid, cover stem with foil to prevent burning, and bake at 350 for 1 ½ - 2 hrs. or until pumpkin is fork tender. Cool for a few minutes, then scoop stew and pumpkin into bowls.