Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:

1-2 tbsps. olive oil

1 pkg. carrots (about 6 carrots), chopped into 1/2-1 inch chunks

4-5 medium sized russet potatoes, chopped into 1 inch chunks

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic

1 can diced tomatoes

Approx. 64 oz. of vegetable broth (I like the clear broth like Swanson Organic, as opposed to some of the muddier-looking broths that are available)

2 Not-Beef bouillon cubes (or any other vegetarian or vegan brand of bouillon cubes)

2/3 cup pearl barley

1 small bag frozen peas, thawed

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. rosemary

1 tbsp. tomato paste

Salt and pepper to taste

Put it together:

• In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high and cook the carrots and onions for about 5 minutes (You will get a brown crust on the bottom of your pot, don't worry about it)
• Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly
• Add the veggie broth and diced tomatoes (with their juice), as well as the tomato paste and bouillon cubes
• Add the pearl barley and potatoes
• Make sure it comes back up to a boil, taste, adjust salt and pepper, then cover and reduce heat to low
• Simmer, covered, for an hour, or until barley is softened
• If the stew is not thick enough for your tastes at this point, take the lid off and simmer uncovered until thickened
• If the stew is too thick for you, add water
• A few minutes before serving, add the thawed peas, heat them through, then serve

Variations:  You could use butternut squash instead of potatoes, or use fewer potatoes and add some cubes of squash, too.  If you hate peas, you can use celery, or a leafy green like kale or chard, though if you go that route, you probably want to add those earlier in the cooking process so they can soften and cook down.

Roasted Fall Vegetables

I made this for Thanksgiving, though I've modified it to remove the potatoes, since I was serving mashed garlic potatoes on the side.  In its original form, it was the "Harvest Vegetable Medley" in the Vegetarian Times November/December 2007 edition.  In my rendition,

You need:

1 lb. small brussels sprouts, trimmed (removed the excess small leaves and stem from the bottom)

1 butternut squash, halved, cut into chunks

1 head cauliflower, separated into 2 inch florets

4 medium leeks, white parts only, trimmed and quartered lengthwise

1/2 lb. baby carrots

1/2 lb. baby parsnips, peeled and trimmed

24 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved, plus 3 garlic cloves, minced (no, that's not a typo)

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage

1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

2 small red bell peppers, quartered

The recipe:

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  
2. Toss everything into a roasting pan with the olive oil, fresh herbs, salt and pepper and attempt to spread into a single layer
3. Roast for 40 minutes, tossing whenever you get worried, or until the veggies are brown around the edges and squash is soft

As you can see if you've examined the original recipe, I've taken some liberties with the instructions because honestly, I'm not going to be fussing over pre-boiling brussels sprouts, they came out fine just plain roasted.  I also added more red pepper.  I do recommend using the fresh herbs, since this is otherwise very simply flavored.

I would not recommend trying to double this recipe, since it says it serves 8, and I didn't have a pan big enough to serve what I thought 15 people would eat.