The Best Vegan "Beef" Stew!

It's just mid November and it snowed in the city today.  So, clearly it is unseasonably cold for this time.  And, it is going to get down to the single digits on Monday as well.  Now comes the time when I want to move to Florida.  I swear we talk about it every year when it starts to get cold!  Maybe we need to strike gold and have two homes!

So on a night like this, who wouldn't want a hearty, comforting bowl of vegan beef stew???  Even better, we can enjoy the leftovers cuddling on the couch, watching Sunday football all day.  Sounds pretty good to me! 

So our last trip to the Vietnamese grocer, Ryan noticed some chunks of tvp beef.  We usually buy the tvp chicken, but this is the first time I have seen a soy beef product in this manner!  The specific product we bought was Verisoy Vegan Beef Slice.  Just like other tvp products, you have to rehydrate the product in broth or liquid for about 10-15 minutes. 

What to know about these products is that proper seasoning is crucial, otherwise the product could be a bit off-putting.  For this recipe, I used a vegan beef broth, vegan Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce to rehydrate the product.  Then, quickly tossed it with a vegan steak sauce before adding it to the stew.  This turned out to taste great!

The Best Vegan "Beef" Stew

 





Ingredients:
for the tvp:
2 c vegan beef tvp
2 c vegan beef broth, or broth of choice
1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp vegan steak sauce

for the stew
2 tbsp evoo
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 white or russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 c red wine
2 tbsp flour
reserve liquid from tvp
2 tbsp steak sauce
2 tbsp corn starch
2 bay leaves
s+p

Directions:
for the beef tvp:
Bring broth with Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce sauce to a boil.  Stir in tvp beef slices, turn off heat and let soak for about 10-15 minutes.  Strain, reserving the remaining liquid for the stew.  In a bowl, toss the tvp beef slices with your vegan steak sauce.  Set aside.

for the stew:
In a large pot, heat evoo over med-high and saute onion and garlic and saute for 3 minutes.  Stir in you tomato paste and continue to stir.  Add in flour, stir for an additional minute or so, then add in red wine and let reduce by half.  Pour in broth and reserve liquid from the tvp.  Bring to boil, add in remaining ingredients and the tvp beef strips.  Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Serve with rice or noodles when ready to serve.