By Veronica Grace   |   Posted on January 10, 2013 

A classic vegan slow cooker stew filled with delicious root vegetables such as yams, potatoes, turnips and carrots is just what you need on those cold, snowy days! This recipe makes great leftovers for a healthy lunch and is perfect for serving at a winter potluck.

Hearty Vegetable Stew

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 10 baby potatoes quartered or 2 medium potatoes cubed
• 1 yam or sweet potato, sliced or cubed
• 2 golden beets or turnips
• 3 carrots peeled and chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth
• 8 fresh tomatoes or 1 28 ounce can of tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons sugar or 6 dates blended with water
• 1 teaspoon roasted cumin
• 2 teaspoon Herbs de Provence (or an Italian herb mix)
• 1 teaspoon smoked chipotle powder (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Crock Pot Directions: 

Blend the fresh tomatoes or the canned tomatoes with the herbs and dates or sugar. Taste. Add chipotle seasoning to taste.

You’re going to choose the sliced option for the yams/sweet potatoes so they don’t completely fall apart in the crock pot. Combine ingredients in crockpot, starting with the carrots at the bottom, then potatoes, beets/turnips, yam, celery, and onions.  Pour tomato mixture over top.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 5 just until the potatoes are done and the vegetables are tender. Add Herbamare or salt and pepper and taste test and adjust seasonings if desired.

Serve.

Stove Top Instructions:

Sauté onions and garlic in 1 cup of vegetable broth over medium heat while you chop your veggies. Add a little more broth or water to prevent from drying out.

Dice your potatoes smaller than your yams/sweet potatoes as they take longer to cook. Dice the beets or turnips about the size of your potatoes as well. Chop the rest of the veggies and add to the pot when ready. Add remaining 3 cups of vegetable broth. It doesn’t have to cover all of the vegetables, but almost.

Blend tomatoes, seasonings and sugar or dates in blender and add to pot.

Cover the pot, bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat (between 4 and 5) and cook for 45-55 minutes until the potatoes and beets/turnips are soft.

Season to taste with Herbamare or salt and pepper. To make it thicker, take a potato masher and roughly mash only a part of the stew about 1/4 of it to make the broth thicken and become a chunky stew.

Serve.

Chef’s Note: 4 cups of vegetable broth is only for the stove top version and not the crock pot version.