Red Wine Mushroom Stew (Vegan)

“Delicious Autumn! My very soul is wedded to it…”

It’s 4:28pm and it’s already dark. Thick clouds creep slowly toward the city. There’s a storm forecasted for this evening and into tomorrow with high winds and heavy rain: Autumn on the Pacific Northwest Coast. Monday is the Winter Solstice. I celebrate each year with a feast and invite friends to share in the longest night. This year will be a quiet one, with restrictions on gatherings, I will join my best friend who lives in Spain via Zoom for a Solstice meditation.

Dinner is slowly simmering in the crock pot on the stove. It will cook on low heat for 2 hours which gives me time to sit and write, maybe even watch a Christmas movie.

I’m making a Mushroom stew in red wine with veggies for tonight’s supper. In about an hour I’ll put the potatoes on for a garlic mash to smother in thick tasty stew.

Stews are a simple meal and are easy to make (once you’ve chopped and prepped everything) and this year has been all about the simple things in life that bring us happiness.

Red Wine Mushroom Stew

You Will Need:

2 Pots. 1 large crock pot for the stew and 1 smaller to make the thickened broth.

5 tbsp olive oil, divided (2 for the crock pot + 3 for the smaller pot)
1 yellow onion finely chopped
1 ½ Tbsp of minced garlic
4 cups of Vegetable broth, divided (into 2 cups each)
5 Tbsp of all purpose flour
2 carrots, diced
1 ½ cup Yukon Gold potatoes cubed
4 cups of button mushrooms – stems removed. I had a few that were very large so I cut them in half.
1 cup of fresh green beans cut into bite size pieces
1 cup of frozen peas (or fresh)
⅓ of a cup of fresh chopped parsley
1 Tbsp of dried Thyme
1 ½ Tbsp of Tomato Paste
Spices of your choice: I used Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Tarragon and Smoked Paprika (about a tsp each)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup of red wine
1/3 Cup of non-dairy milk (I used Almond Milk)

Serve over mashed potatoes. I’ll leave that up to you. I like mine extra garlic-y.

Instructions:

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add onions and sauté for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

While onions are cooking, add remaining 3 tbsp olive oil to a smaller pot over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk until no lumps remain. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of vegetable broth and whisk until smooth.

Once onions and garlic are softened, add carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, green beans, peas, herbs, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and paprika to pot and stir well.