Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (22 page)

4½ cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
) or water
 

3 medium zucchini, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

½ red onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

½ teaspoon salt

One 15-ounce can whole stewed tomatoes in juice

¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

½ cup tomato juice

1 tablespoon tomato paste
 

½ cup chopped fresh basil

½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
 

Salt and pepper

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Combine the onion through stock in the slow cooker; stir well.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 7 hours, or until the beans are just tender. Drain, return the beans and vegetables to the slow cooker.

3.
Add the zucchini through the tomato paste; stir to combine.

4.
Cook for 2 hours, or until the vegetables are tender yet still firm.

5.
Stir in the basil and parsley. Remove the bay leaf.

6.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

VARIATION

MEDITERRANEAN STEW WITH OLIVES

Add
¹
/
₃
cup roughly chopped black olives with the basil and parsley.

Smoky Mushroom and Tofu Stroganoff

in the dry chees-y mix

R
ICH, EARTHY, HEARTY,
with a smoky undertone that really accentuates the flavors of the mushrooms, this stroganoff is a meal in a bowl. Great served with a slice of dense rye bread or over mashed potatoes, as well as with the more traditional long, thick noodles. This is a dish that will satisfy you completely. If you prefer, white button mushrooms are a perfectly acceptable variation on the cremini specified.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound cremini mushrooms, halved and sliced thinly

4 ounces shiitake mushroom caps, cut into ¼-inch pieces

8 ounces smoked tofu, cut into ¼-inch dice, store-bought or homemade (
page 27
)

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (
page 22
)

1 teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon ground fennel seeds

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons coconut cream

½ cup soy creamer, store-bought or homemade (
page 56
)

1 cup mushroom or vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)
 

2 tablespoons Dry Chees-y Mix (
page 51
)
 

Vegan sour cream, optional (but good)

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Combine the onion through the stock in the slow cooker. The mushrooms won’t be covered, but this is okay because they will release liquid as they cook.

2.
Cover, turn heat to LOW, and cook for 5 hours, or until the mushrooms are very soft and their liquid has reduced.

3.
Uncover and stir in the Chees-y Mix. Cook for 30 minutes uncovered on HIGH.

4.
Serve warm garnished, with a dollop of vegan sour cream if desired.

Peasant Vegetable and Sausage Stew

R
USTIC, HEARTY, AND
warming—a true “one dish meal”—this stew is the sort of thing you can imagine peasants in the “olden days” sitting down to enjoy, minus the vegan sausage, of course! It is great served with some crusty bread. You will have half a head of cabbage left after this recipe; use it to make a side dish for another meal, such as the Savoy Cabbage with Raisins and Pecans (
page 226
).

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

½ cup dry large lima beans, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed

1 medium red pepper, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon marjoram

½ teaspoon chili flakes, optional, to taste

½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, packed

3 to 4 small white potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice

2½ cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)
 

½ large head savoy cabbage, shredded

One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, undrained

2 links vegan sausage, store-bought or homemade (
page 49
, ½ recipe), cut into ½-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
 

2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach, optional
 

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt, black pepper, and hot sauce

1.
Place the beans through the stock in the slow cooker; stir to combine.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 5½ hours, or until the beans and potato are tender.

3.
Add the cabbage through the sausages, stir to combine, cover, and cook for 1½ hours, or until the cabbage is tender.

4.
Add the spinach, if using, and cook for 15 minutes, or until completely wilted.

5.
Add the lemon juice, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Just prior to serving, taste and season with the salt, pepper, and hot sauce as required.

Seitan in Onion Gravy

I
SEMI-REGULARLY POST ON
an online vegan forum and notice that about every six months there is a new “What do I do with leftover seitan broth?” thread. I discuss seitan broth in Basic Recipes (see
page 45
) but thought it would be nice to give a couple of recipes, too. This warming comfort food, with a depth of onion flavor you may not have thought possible, is also good made with seitan sausages, store-bought or homemade, such as the Chipotle Lentil Sausages (
page 49
), instead of seitan. Serve with Garlic and Onion Mashed Potatoes (
page 215
) for a super dose of onion love!

Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped
 

1 garlic clove, minced

2 large Vidalia or other sweet onions, quartered and thinly sliced

½ teaspoon salt
 

½ pound (2 cups) seitan, preferably darker, store-bought or homemade (
page 46
, ½ recipe), cut into cubes no larger than ½ inch

1½ cups leftover seitan cooking broth, or 1½ cups mushroom stock plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Marmite

½ teaspoon dried thyme
 

2 tablespoons cornstarch
 

Salt and black pepper

1.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the onion until quite browned, roughly 7 minutes.

2.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic through the salt, stir, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden and soft with all the liquid released and reduced to half the original volume, about 12 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker.

3.
Add the seitan through the thyme; stir to combine.

4.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 4 hours, or until the onions are very soft and broken down, the seitan is very tender, and the flavors have melded.

5.
Combine the cornstarch with a little water in a small cup to make a slurry. Stir into the gravy until thick, about 2 minutes.

6.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

VARIATIONS:

Cook the gravy without the seitan for a gluten-free meal, served over French lentils and mashed potatoes, or turn the seitanless gravy into a French onion soup by thinning it with faux beef stock (to preferred thickness).

St. Patrick’s Day Irish Stew

T
HIS THICK, SAVORY,
gravy-rich stew is great for any day, not just for March 17th or even just for the spring. It is traditionally made with mutton or lamb. I used seitan but kept in the other traditional ingredients: potatoes, carrots, onions, and—according to some—oats. In the slow cooker root vegetables take longest to cook so they need to go on the bottom and be cooked without stirring (until directed). If time permits, make the seitan in advance and use the cooking broth for best results. I know vegan stout is hard to find; if you can’t, the darkest vegan beer you can get your hands on is perfect.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes

3 medium white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons steel-cut oats

½ pound (2 cups) seitan, preferably darker, store-bought or homemade (
page 46
, ½ recipe), cut into 1-inch chunks
 

¾ cup seitan cooking broth or dark vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

2 cups dark beer (1 large can), vegan stout if you can find it, or dark vegetable stock

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves only

1½ teaspoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon Marmite
 

3 tablespoons margarine

3 tablespoons plain flour
 

½ cup water
 

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1.
Place the potatoes through the seitan in the slow cooker in the order listed, stacking on top of each other in layers.
Do not stir.

2.
In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the cooking broth through the Marmite. Pour into the slow cooker over the other ingredients.