"Beef" Stew

This is a really easy seitan stew if you are willing to put the effort into making the seitan (it’s easier than it sounds.) The seitan recipe is from the Veganomicon. The spices are mostly ripped off from a beef stew recipe. You need a crockpot for this.

1 batch Seitan, lightly pan fried in Sriracha and a minced garlic clove

5-7 small red potatoes, quartered

2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped, or  ½ cup to 2/3 cup prechopped carrots

1 white onion, diced

½ container baby bella mushrooms

½ cup frozen corn

1 can chickpeas

½ bag green beans, snapped in half

1 clove garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce, (an example is Annie’s)

2 ½ cups water

2 ½ cups vegetable broth

Put all ingredients in the crockpot and mix thoroughly. Cook for 12 to 24 hours on high. Enjoy!

When I make this again, I might add 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch at the beginning to thicken it. Chauncey said it would be better a bit thicker. Just a side note.

Recipe Time

In Lieu of anything deep, since I have been busy reading the Song of Fire and Ice books nonstop, I am going to share a recipe. It is a modified version of a magazine recipe, which I have worked over and reworked to eventually make my own. It is not in exact measurements, as I rarely measure things I am familiar with.

Pasta Shells Marinara

-Ricotta Cheese- 

1 container tofu (roughly 1 pound) firm
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1/4 to 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2-4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic powder (optional)

-Sauce-

 6 cloves of garlic minced
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 large can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
Italian seasoning to taste, or basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and sage to taste
salt (to taste)

one package large pasta shells

-You will need a large casserole dish, a food processor, hand or otherwise, helps as well.


Put at least 16 shells in a pot to boil, you shouldn't need them all. Some will break up, but 16 should be enough.

While shells are boiling, put the frozen spinach in the microwave for 6-8 minutes uncovered on a plate. Next, crumble tofu in big bowl using your hands, mix in oil, garlic powder, and yeast. When spinach is done, mix it in as well. If you have a food processor, you can process it all, though it can be done without processing.

To make sauce, saute garlic until golden, then pour both cans of tomatoes into a large pot with garlic. Pour olive oil and seasoning in. Olive oil should create a thin layer on top until mixed in, (which should take a bit of work.) You may need to add salt to lessen the sweetness of the sauce. Let cook for a bit to get the spices to cook into the sauce. 30 minutes on low after it has come to a boil should be enough.

Fill casserole dish with cooked shells, even broken ones (no reason to waste). You might want to wash them with cold water first so they aren't hot. Fill each with ricotta cheese and add extra cheese in between shells.

Pour sauce over shells. If any extra sauce remains, feel free to use for spaghetti later.

Bake covered in tin foil at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 mins before serving.