[MrMadison]

Hello. I'll probably post in here quite often for some ideas. It looks like I can find
some good help!

I'm looking for an idea for a low-fat vegetarian stew. I prefer the thick,
heartiness of stew rather than soup, but am not sure of how to make
a thick gravy-type base. Any ideas?

Steve

[jodi]

Hey Steve

Here is a recipe for Curried vegetabel Stew
2 teas. olive oil
1 large sweet potato (bout 12 oz.) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chuncks
1 med. size onion cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small zuccini (about 8 oz) cut into 1 inch chunks
1 small green pepper cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 1/2 teas. curry powder
1 teas. cumin
1 15-19 oz can chick peas rinsed and drained
1 14 1/2can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teas salt
In a nonstick 12 inch skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add sweet potato, onion, zuccini, and green pepper. Cook 8-10 min, until vegetables are golden, stirring occasionally. Add curry and cumin, cook 1 min. stirring. Add chick peas, tomatoesand their juice, vegetable broth and salt, over high heat, cook until boiling. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer about 10 min or until vegetables are fork tender.
Serves 4
197 cal
10 gm protein
4.3 gm fat
6.2 gm fiber
3 pts per serving
Enjoy

[MrMadison]

Jodi, that looks GREAT!
I don't have any dinner plans for tonite...
I think I might try it out!

I take it the curry powder is what causes the thickness?


Steve

[jodi]

Here is another vegetarian dish u might enjoy..

Mexican Casserole

2 teas. vegetable oil
1 carrot diced
1 onion chopped on 1lb. butternut squash peeled, seeded. and cubed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teas. garlic cloves minced
one 19 oz can cranberry beans rinsed and drained (or u can substitude black beans)
on 14oz can whole tomatoes
1 teas. dried oregano
1/4 teas. ground cloves
1/4 teas. cayenne pepper
3/4 teas. salt
1/2 yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 red bell pepper seede and finely diced
2 teas. chopped cilantro
1/2 teas. ground black pepper

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add teh carrot and onion and cook stirring as needed until softened about 5 min. Add the squash, chili powder, cumin and garlic cook stirring as needed until the onion is golden about 4-5 min. Stir in the beans tomatoes, oregano, cloves, cayenne and 1/4 teas. of salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon and stirring as needed until thickened about 20 min. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine the cornmeal, the remaining 1/2 teas. salt and 2 cups of wter. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer whisking constantly until the mixtureis very thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan about 15 min. Cool slightly then stir in the cheese, bell pepper. cilantro and black pepper. Transfer the squash mixture toa 9 inch square baking dish. Top with th cornmeal mixture. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and lightly browned about 40 min.
Serves 4
5pts per serving

[jodi]

Hearty Bean and Pasta Stew

3/4 cup macaroni shells small uncooked
1/4 cup green bell peppers chopped
1 teas. basil
1 teas. worchestershire sauce
1 large tomato (1 cup) coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 15 oz. can kidney beans rinsed and drained
1 14 oz. can chicken broth reduce sodium fat free
1 8 oz can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
Heat all ingredients to boiling in 2 qt saucepan stirring occasionally. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 min stirring occasionally until macaroni is tender..
Serves 4
4pts per serving

[Scuttle]

Moosewood Restaurants Low-Fat Favorites has a whole section on stews. I haven't tried any, so I can't recommend them. Try looking for the book at your bookstore or library, it's a pretty good cookbook, I think.

Here, for reference, are the stews they list:

• Giambotta
• French vegetable bean stew
• Caribbean stew
• Mediterranean stew
• Thai vegetable curry
• Ukranian beet and bean stew
• Armenian stew with pilaf
• Three sisters stew
• Creole stew
• Persian split pean and barley stew
• Quinoa vegetable stew
• Mushroom sesame tofu stew
• Wild mushroom stew trieste
• Southwestern hominy stew

I'm not a big soup/stew fan, and none of those look particularly appetizing to me, so I haven't tried any. But the other recipes I've tried have been good.

For the adventurous chefs, they have advice for homemade stews. Cut vegetables into big chunks. Cook vegetables until they are tender, but not mush, so add slower cooking vegetables (dense root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, beets) before juicier vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers) so you don't get mush.

If you want a thinner stew, add more water or some appropriate liquid: tomatos, their juice, vegetable stock, wine, whatever blends. To thicken, add thick things: creamy vegetables (potatoes, yams, split peas), tahini, cornmeal, hominy, yellow split peas, different types of grains...

If you're cooking low fat, add spices to flavor it up. Fresh spices add more flavor than dried ones in bottles.

Anyway, since I'm a horrible cook, I never attempt anything from scratch -- I always mix the wrong things together. I'm a disaster at places like Mongolian barbecues because of that. But if you're adventurous, there's some general hints, and pick flavors that complement one another.