Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (23 page)

3.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. Hold on the warm setting or turn off the slow cooker, leaving the insert in place.

4.
Remove 1 cup of the cooking liquid and reserve.

5.
Melt the margarine in a small pan on the stovetop; add the flour and cook to form a light roux. Add the reserved cooking liquid ¼ cup at a time and cook to thicken, stirring constantly after each addition. When all the cooking liquid is added, add the water ¼ cup at a time.

6.
When the sauce is thick, add it to the slow cooker and stir to combine and thicken the remaining liquid. Let stand covered for 10 minutes on WARM.

7.
Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Beer Stew with Sweet Potato and Celery

T
HE IDEA FOR
this came from a Food Network show. The host was stewing a tough cut of meat in copious amounts of beer and some spices with sweet potato. It looked like something worth replicating for vegans—so I did. In this recipe I used soy protein instead and reduced the amount of beer—I found that using more made the finished stew taste too “beery” and yeasty, a bit unbalanced. The servings are not huge; it does end up being quite rich as the sweet potato cooks down. It’s nice served with rice, Baked Garlic Potatoes (
page 214
), or a baked sweet potato (just in case you need more), and some green vegetables.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes

½ medium onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, 1 finely chopped, 1 cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 bay leaf

3 whole sprigs fresh thyme

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

½ cup TVP chunks

½ cup TVP granules

1 tablespoon agave

1½ cups (1 can) vegan lager or other pale beer, or vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

1½ cups vegetable stock
 

2 teaspoons lime juice

Salt and black pepper

1.
Combine the onion through stock in the slow cooker.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 6½ hours, or until the TVP and sweet potato are very tender and the liquid is reduced and thickened.

3.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.

4.
Stir in the lime juice; taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

White Stew

B
ASED ON A
stew traditionally made with chicken, and called simply white stew, this is true comfort food. I like it served with boring old boiled peas and carrots. Leftover stew would make a great filling for a pot pie—if you have any leftover stew, that is! You may find the creamy, herbed gravy too hard to resist. Note that the soy curls don’t need presoaking when cooked for this long because they become wonderfully tender while cooking.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes

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

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning mix, store-bought or homemade (
page 52
)

2 cups (about 6 ounces) soy curls or TVP chunks

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 cloves Poached Garlic (
page 54
)

2 shallots, minced

½ cup white wine or vegetable stock

4 small peeled white potatoes, cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper
 

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

2 tablespoons cornstarch
 

Salt and black pepper

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

1.
Combine the stock through the black pepper in the slow cooker.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 6 hours, or until the potato is tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed.

3.
In a small measuring cup or bowl, combine the creamer and the cornstarch, whisking with a fork until smooth. Add to the stew and stir for 5 minutes to thicken.

4.
Remove bay leaf. Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

Cannellini Mustard Tempeh

I
T LOOKS LIKE
there is a lot of mustard going into the slow cooker, and you might be a little scared or think I have lost my mind. Let me reassure you that all is okay. The flavor of the mustard is tempered by the long cooking (and the combination of other ingredients) so the dish comes out creamy, mild, and rich, though still mustard-y. There is no bitterness or sourness in the finished sauce, which is luscious. Serve with a perfectly cooked plain grain and a lovely simple salad for an elegant dinner.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes

8 ounces tempeh, cut into ½-inch cubes

1½ cups cooked cannellini or white kidney beans

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

2 tablespoons agave (see Note)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons prepared Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons mustard seeds, lightly crushed

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried tarragon
 

¼ cup white wine or vegetable stock

2 tablespoons cornstarch
 

Salt and black pepper

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

1.
Combine the tempeh through the tarragon in the slow cooker and stir to combine.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 6 hours, or until the tempeh is tender.

3.
Mix the wine and cornstarch in a small container to make a slurry.

4.
Add the slurry to the slow cooker and stir to thicken for 5 minutes.

5.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

NOTE
: If you are a mustard lover, reduce the agave by ½ tablespoon to reduce the sweetness in the finished sauce.

Tempeh à la King

if using chickpea flour

I
F YOU CAN
find a way to present this dish that isn’t completely unstructured, please let me know! It is such a tasty dish with tender tempeh smothered in a thick, rich vegetable-laden sauce, which is very more-ish! I kept the portions small because it is so rich and loaded with creaminess. Serve with rice, pasta, potatoes, Asian noodles, or toast, whatever you have on hand. The green pepper is cooked separately and added at the end because it tends to cause a bitter taste after a long cooking time. If the stew isn’t thick enough for your tastes after it’s cooked, make a slurry and stir into the stew to thicken. If you’d like more sauce, stir in a little more soy creamer or soy milk.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes

8-ounces tempeh, cut into ½-inch cubes

5 large white mushroom caps, finely chopped

½ medium red pepper, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper
 

3 tablespoons chickpea flour or all-purpose flour, sifted if lumpy

¾ cup soy creamer, store-bought or homemade (
page 56
)

½ cup vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

1 teaspoon agave
 

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ medium green pepper, finely chopped
 

Salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

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

1.
Combine the tempeh through the white pepper in the slow cooker.

2.
In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the flour through the agave until smooth. Pour the flour mixture into the slow cooker and stir to combine.

3.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 6 hours, or until the tempeh is tender and the sauce has reduced a little.

4.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat; sauté the garlic and green pepper for 5 minutes, or until soft and aromatic. Stir into the stew.

5.
Taste and season with the salt and black pepper as required. Serve garnished with the parsley.

Curries and Asian-Inspired Dishes

Peas, Potatoes, and Broccoli

Spiced Spinach and Pea Lentils

Pumpkin and Tomato Dal