Stew

I've moved from soup to stew. This a warm and hearty one that will remind you of a great beef stew while being both gluten free and vegan.

--To a slow cooker add--

4-5 medium sized potatoes, coarsely chopped

1 bunch of carrots, peeled and chopped

4 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

1 small Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped

One can of diced tomatoes

1 cup Cremini mushroom, quartered

1 cup of Red Wine

1 shot of Brandy or Sherry (optional)

1 tablespoon of Sorghum Molasses

2 Bay Leaves

Several Dashes of Worcestershire Sauce (make sure to buy a vegan brand) 

2 drops of liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon Rosemary

1/2 teaspoon Thyme

1/2 teaspoon Sage

1/2 teaspoon Paprika

1/2 teaspoon Fennel

1 teaspoon Salt (or more to taste)

Freshly Ground Black Pepper (I add A LOT, add at least 1 teaspoon)

I also add a can of young green jackfruit in brine.  Drain the can and rinse the fruit completely, remove any seeds.  If you're new to jackfruit, I recommend trying it this way first: http://bakeanddestroy.net/2013/03/you-dont-know-jackfruit/ 

Once this is in the cooker, add enough Vegetable Broth to just cover everything. Put the cover on top and cook on low for at least 8 hours, or until vegetables are tender. If cooking on high, your cooking time will decrease.  The jackfruit will break up some through the cooking process but feel free to help it along with a fork--it is amazing how reminiscent it is of pulled pork.

In the last hour of cooking, you'll want to take this from soup to stew.  In keeping this gluten free, I use a slurry of cornstarch and water.  Add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch to a cup and whisk in water until it is smooth.  Incorporate into the stew.

I throw in half a bag of frozen peas at this point as well.

Let the stew cook the last little bit and serve with a bit of fresh parsley on top.