Portobello Vegetable Stew

A Portobello Vegetable Stew for you!

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I love simple and adaptable recipes. This is a hearty, vegan stew is perfect for winter months. It's lovely as a leftovers. Add in other vegetables, lentils or legumes to make it something else. Want more protein? Add a cup of cooked white beans or lentils. Add a scoop of cooked wild rice. Want soup instead? Increase the liquid with tomato juice, water or vegetable broth. As you add or change the recipe be sure to taste as you go and adjust your seasonings. Start with less and then add more. It’s always easier to increase than decrease a flavor.

Ingredients

2 large portobellos - cleaned and cut into 3/4 inch chunks

3 cups large onions - 3/4 inch chunks

1 cup of celery - 3/4 inch chunks

2 cups carrots - cleaned and chopped in 1/2 inch chunks - I used rainbow colored carrots

5 cups medium potatoes - cleaned (peel if desired) and chopped in 3/4 inch chunks.

16 oz. diced tomatoes with juice

3 cloves of garlic minced

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 Tbsp olive oil

basalmic vinegar

4 - 5 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

fresh parsley

Instructions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven saute’ the onions, celery and carrots with olive oil and basalmic over medium heat for 8 minutes.

2. Stir in mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add water if necessary to prevent vegetables from sticking to the pan.

3. Add in tomatoes and juice, potatoes and herbs, salt and pepper, and 4 cups of water. Bring to boil. Toss in rosemary and thyme. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender. Now add in those peas and cook for 5 minutes more.

4. To add texture to the sauce, use an immersion blender to blend some of the liquid. No immersion blender? Transfer 1 -2 cups of the liquid to a blender, buzz it then add it back to the stew. Careful! It’s hot. I have also opted to add in dried potato flakes to thicken the sauce. This will shift the flavor a bit, so you will need to adjust the seasonings.

5. Serve with parsley and rosemary.

Recipe Notes

Nutritional highlights: This recipes is overall nourishes the Earth element and its organs - the Spleen and Stomach, and the Metal element and its organs the Lung and Colon. Potatoes anchor and ground a person, calming nervous conditions. Mushrooms bolster the immune system and are deeply nourishing to Yin.

Primary season: Autumn, Winter, Late Summer (transition)