Vegetable Stew - Tonua Carano

As usual, I can't just leave a recipe alone. This weekend, I was looking for a good vegetable stew recipe to take to our weekly potluck at church. Our church family is made up of a mix of meat-eaters and vegetarians, and a few people with wheat or dairy allergies sprinkled into the mix. I wanted to find a delicious vegetable stew that would have the same heartiness and richness of flavor of a beef stew but without the meat. After examining a number of online recipes, I finally created the recipe below. Everyone loved it, and the ultimate compliment came when I ended up giving the rest away to people who wanted to take it home with them.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 cups carrots, sliced in 1/2" pieces (approx. 3 large carrots)
• 1-1/2 cups celery, sliced in 1/2" pieces (approx. 4 stalks celery)
• 3 cups cauliflower, cut into 1" pieces (approx. 1 small head cauliflower)
• 3 cups cut green beans, cut into 1" pieces
• 5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, diced in 1/2" cubes
• 48 oz. (3 pints) undrained cut tomatoes
• 2 cans black beans
• 16 oz. tomato sauce
• 2-1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cilantro
• 2 teaspoons basil
• 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/16 cup grape juice (top vinegar to 1/2 cup)

Directions:
In 8-qt. dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté onions and garlic 2 or 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add carrots, celery and cauliflower. Sauté 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure food doesn't stick. If necessary, add a little vegetable broth to keep food from sticking to pan.

Add all remaining ingredients except 1/2 cup vegetable broth, cornstarch, apple cider vinegar, and grape juice. Bring to boil, then cover and simmer 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Stir cornstarch into remaining 1/2 cup vegetable broth and set aside. Combine apple cider vinegar and grape juice (should make 1/2 cup together).

Add cornstarch mixture and vinegar mixture to stew. Cook an additional 5 minutes, while stirring. The base should thicken, leaving a thick and hearty stew. Remove and discard bay leaves before serving.

Serving Size: Approx. 1 cup (8 oz.)

Calories	273
Calories from Fat	30
Total Fat	3g	5% DV
Saturated Fat	1g	3% DV
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0% DV
Sodium	887mg	37% DV
Total Carbohydrate	54g	18% DV
Dietary Fiber	14g	55% DV
Sugars	6g
Protein	12g