Stews are one of the ultimate winter comfort foods. Here I posted a vegetable stew that’s loaded with aromatic spices that are common in Indian cooking. For the base of the stew I put warm spices such as, cardamom, garam marsala, cumin and turmeric into a coconut broth.
In the broth there are chunks of butternut squash, eggplant, baby bella mushrooms and chopped tomatoes. These veggies are “meaty” enough to even satisfy hardcore carnivores. To top off the stew, I garnished it with red chili for heat, cashews for crunch and a dollop of yogurt to cool it down.
One of the great things about this recipe, besides tasting great, it’s vegetarian and vegan friendly. Just remove the yogurt. So, the next time you feel like eating something comforting, reach for this recipe and dare to try something new.
(RECIPE)
serves 4
- 3 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 2 cups 1 1/2 inch cubes of butternut squashed
- 4 cups 1 1/2 inch cubes of eggplant (weather to remove the skin or not is your preference.)
- 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, cleaned & cut in 1/2
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds
- 2 tsp. garam marsala
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 14 oz. can of fire roasted chopped tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 red chili, or use as much as your palate prefers (optional)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth (store bought or homemade)
- 1/4 cup loose chopped cilantro
In a dutch oven or large pot, melt the coconut oil on low heat. Add the spices to the coconut oil & cook just until you start to smell the spices release their aroma. Be careful not to burn them. Add the veggies except for the tomatoes. Sauté them for about 5 minutes.
To the pot add the tomatoes & stock. Take about 1/4 cup of the broth from the pot & put in the tomato paste. Stir until the paste is incorporated into the liquid. Add it to the veggies & stir. Cook for about 30 minutes. About 20 minutes into cooking add the coconut milk & cook for another 10 minutes.
To serve add fresh red chili, chopped cashews, a dollop of yogurt & some cilantro.
Enjoy!
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