How to Make Meatless Stew

Whether for health reasons, or as a personal moral or financial choice, more and more individuals are making the decision to skip meat in their diet.

One of the most popular hardy meals for winter is a nice, hot stew. It's a dish that warms us, inside and out. So what does a cook do when she loves stew but needs to skip the meat? Time to use your imagination!

The truth is, there are countless combinations of vegetables that can be successfully combined in stews. The trick is in learning what combinations taste the best and suit your palate most. I like experimenting with various marinades with my vegetables. As I learned from a Betty Crocker potato salad recipe I've used, potatoes taste great when they've been marinating overnight in Italian dressing. Red wine with garlic (I use the nonalcoholic kind) makes a great marinade, and so does citrus juice. Cooking the stew and simmering in a mix of half water and half citrus juice and/or red wine also adds a lot to the flavor of your food. Peppers add both color and flavor to a stew.

Of course beans, rice, lentils and legumes like peanuts are great additions to your stew and can be worked with in various combinations. So can pasta. These will add some additional nutrients, thickening and flavor to the stew pot! Don't forget mushrooms and eggplant, which can provide still more texture. Olives can work well, and are an ingredient many cooks don't think of when making a stew.

Often when we think of stew, Irish potatoes or red potatoes are the first to come to mind. But what about yams or sweet potatoes? Think of what flavor combinations you like with your yams. Surprisingly, garlic tastes great with them, and so do peanuts. Green beans are great in combination with yams. (Think of Thanksgiving's traditional yams alongside the green bean casserole!) Turnips are also good with the yam flavor and add a little zest.

Cabbages, tomatoes and onions thrown in a pot together with mixed veggies is substantive, healthy and tastes great!

To provide more flavor and some great gravy in your stew, you may want to use vegetable stock or some bouillon. Flour or cornstarch of course can be used to thicken the gravy. Anytime you put garlic or onion into a stew combination the smells and taste are going to be scrumptious. Remember to simmer long enough to make everything fresh tasting yet tender.

Never be afraid to use your imagination when "building" a stew! This is one winter staple no home should do without!