Sunday, August 1, 2010

Mom's Beef Stew

I made this tonight, it is super fantastic. I used sweet potatoes, though my mom usually uses regular baking potatoes (white). I had to share because it is so good. I don't even know if anyone reads this thing anymore, I never post.

OLD FASHIONED BEEF STEW

2 tbsp cooking oil
1.5 lbs of pre-packaged beef for stewing
4 cups boiling water
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp minced garlic or 1 whole clove
1 medium onion—chopped or minced
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Pepper to taste, about 1 tsp
½ tsp paprika
5 large carrots peeled & cut into ¼ inch slices
2 large potatoes (I prefer sweet potatoes), peeled & diced
½ cup flour for thickening

Cut beef cubes in half if they are too big (should be bite sized).

Dry meat using paper towel for proper browning.

Heat oil in pan, brown meat on all sides, turning often.

Add water, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, bay leaves and other spices/seasonings.

Cover; simmer (don’t boil) for 2 hours.

Stir occasionally to keep from sticking.

Remove bay leaves.

Add carrots and potatoes.

Cover and cook 30 to 45 minutes more or until vegetables are done and meat is tender.

Thicken stew gravy by making a rue…remove about 1.5 cups of the broth, place in a separate bowl. Add ½ cup of flour and stir to combine. Add rue back into the stew and stir. Repeat if necessary. Add water if the sauce gets too thick.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Monday, March 8, 2010

Recipe Monday-Roasted Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder

Roasted Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder
(From The New Vegan Cookbook, a local library find)

2 Medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and diced into ½ inch pieces
2 tablespoons corn oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 pound frozen (rinsed and defrosted) or fresh corn kernels (about 4 cups)
1 cup water
1 ½ cups finely diced celery
1 cup diced red onion
¼ cup diced shallots
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 russet (baking) potato (about 8oz)
2 tablespoons minced parsley
½ to 1 cup unflavored soymilk (optional)

Ok, here are my substitutions: I used olive oil instead of corn oil, I used a Vidalia onion instead of red, garlic instead of shallots and two small Yukon golds instead of a russet potato.

1. Set the oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 425. Oil a large roasting pan.

2. Scatter the sweet potatoes in one layer in the roasting pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, tossing once or twice, 15 to 20 minutes. If you’d like to brown the sweet potatoes more deeply, set them about 5 inches below the broiling element for a minute or two. Set aside.

3. Reserve 1 cup of corn kernels. In a blender, puree the remaining corn with the water until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

4. In a heavy soup pot, heat the remaining oil. Cook the celery, onion, and shallots over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the onions are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and thyme and cook another minute, stirring frequently. Add the broth, pureed corn, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste.

5. While bringing the chowder to a boil, peel the russet potato, cut it into ½ inch dices, and add it to the pot. Cover the pot and simmer until the potato is tender, about 25 to 35 minutes.

6. Remove the bay leaf. Add the reserved corn kernels, roasted sweet potatoes, and parsley. Thin with soymilk, if necessary. Adjust the seasonings. Cook (but do not boil after adding soymilk) until heated throughout.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Music, er...Tuesday?

Normally I save stuff like this for a Friday, but I just can't wait. This is spectacular. Amazing.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Profoundly Moving Decay

I just discovered that the love of my life, the man I quietly pine for in my loneliest and most nostalgic moments, was married last July. I sort of feel like weeping for my own selfish loss, but more than that, I am devastated that we became estranged and I missed the opportunity to be there for him and support him on what I'm sure was a beautiful and amazing day. For that, my heart is now officially broken and I am officially weeping. Struan, should you ever read this, please know that I am so profoundly sorry that I ruined what could otherwise have been an amazing post-romance friendship. In a cruel twist of fate, there is a Cher song playing on my iPod right now--"Do You Believe in Life After Love" and I'm not sure what my answer would be to that question at this exact moment. I didn't even know I owned that song. This sucks.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Vegan Lent

Hello! It's been a really long time since I've updated this thing. Wanted to share my plan for a Vegan Lent. I told myself that when I got back from my birthday weekend in Florida, I would do a vegan detox (which I do every once in awhile to clear my system and hit the reset button, so to speak). Then I realized that it was Lent, so I decided to "go big or go home."

Mainly, I wanted to give up meat, because as tasty as it is, eating it conflicts with my values. I wouldn't mind eating meat that locally and sustainably raised (in good conditions) and humanely slaughtered, but for this exercise, I wanted to give it up completely. Giving up meat has never been a problem for me, so that's more or less the easy part here.

Now, cheese. Cheese is amazing. I love it. But dairy is one of the hardest things for your body to digest, and it's terrible for you. The human digestive system is not designed to process the lactose of other mammals. It's as simple as that. So, I decided to give it up FOR THE MOST PART.

I will not throw away any food that's currently in my house, because being wasteful also conflicts with my values. I will not purchase any meat or dairy products, but if I'm out with friends and cannot settle on a vegan menu item, I give myself permission to eat dairy.

I haven't decided about eggs yet. And I'm not getting all picky with gelatin and honey and all the other fru-fru details. And chocolate is OK once in awhile, but I won't buy it for my house.

So that's it! I'll keep you posted. Today is day three. Going well so far :)

-Mandy