You can thank me for not posting a recipe that has the words "pumpkin spice" in the title. To be honest, I think the whole pumpkin spice muffins, lattes, cakes, sticky buns, etc have been a little out of control this year. I like fall, and I like pumpkin, but not EVERYTHING has to be flavored with the dang orange squash-like food.
So, I decided to create something that was very fall-ey, but did not include pumpkin. Who doesn't like a good soup when the weather gets brisk? Who doesn't like a nice big bowl of steamy goodness accompanied by a slide of crusty, cheesy baguette? Exactly.
This combination of flavors worked out really well, and we ate off the pot of stew for several days (yet another reason why I am a huge fan of stews and soups). This is a hearty stew, heavy on the ingredients, fairly light on the broth. Since we typically eat our soups (or stews) as a main dish, I want like them to be filling and hearty.
How many times did I say either soup or stew in that last paragraph? If you don't have a cast iron dutch oven, you're truly missing out. This is one of our most loved wedding gifts.
Butter? Yes. I used a little olive oil as well, but I just can't get over the flavor that butter gives a hearty stew. Careful not to burn it!
The kale I se most of the time comes pre-washed and chopped. It may cost a tad bit more, but the convenience factor is worth it to me. This is the same kale we use for smoothies as well, makes the morning routine quick!
Other things, and stuff.
Chopped ingredients, ready to roll.
I gave the ore-sliced mushrooms a quick chop. I like buying pre-sliced most of the time because they're usually free of dirt and I don't have to worry about trying to wipe them off before using them. Also, you usually don't pay any extra/get the same amount of mushrooms either way!
Cumin was the star of the show in this stew. It gives a really nice flavor that I can't quite explain in words. A little smoky, a little homey, really good stuff.
Lots of sweet potatoes! These two chopped into a little more than I thought they would, but that was fine by me.
Only needed half of the extra large can of tomoatoes, so I saved the rest to use throughout the week.
All assembled, bay leaf tossed in for some additional flavor. I don't usually use boxed or canned broths in my soups and stews, I would rather create the flavors using my own spices. I also like to be able to control the amount of salt that goes into the dishes I create, and using pre-made broth usually adds quite a bit of sodium.
I actually transferred the soup to the crock pot at the last minute because Jacob was racing one evening and I decided I wanted to go watch! So, I transferred everything to the trusty crock pot and set it on low for two hours. It was perfect when we got home later that evening!
Served with a big chunk of toasted baguette with melted muenster cheese. Comfort at it's finest. Happy fall!
Tempeh, Wild Rice, and Sweet Potato Stew Recipe:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 package tempeh, diced into 1/2 in cubes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 small sweet potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped roughly
- 3 packed cups kale, trimmed, washed, chopped
- 1 can (2 cups) diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 4 to 4 cups of water
- 1/3 cup wild rice
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Melt butter and oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add onions, garlic, and tempeh to the pan.
- Season with 1/2 tsp salt.
- Saute' until the tempeh is golden and the onions are tender.
- Add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, kale, tomatoes, and cumin powder.
- Cover and let the mixture cook for 5-10 minutes. The kale will wilt and the mixture will cook down.
- Add water until the vegetable mixture is just barely covered in liquid.
- Mix in wild rice and bay leaf.
- Cook for 45 minutes on low heat, or simmer all day in the crock pot.
- The wild rice grains will break open and curl up when they are cooked through.
- Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Serve with crusty bread.
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