Irish Stew

IT'S MARCH and I thought it would be fun to cook up a St. Patrick's Day meal – a traditional Irish dish in a not-so-traditional vegan way. Big meaty chunks with carrots in a beer stew. Mmmm...

FOR SOMEONE who started out as a meat-eater, I crave that chewy texture, and that's why this recipe is a winner. It's worth the extra effort and time. I make the "meat" ahead of time and put it in the refrigerator.

THE PHOTO is taken in my back yard. You've heard that a picture is worth a thousand words? Well this one is worth 600 dollars. While I was setting up the shoot, my clumsy Great Dane, Navarre (whom I still love), ran through the yard, knocking over the water onto my Panasonic Lumix camera – ruining it. I was able to borrow a camera within minutes, and this recipe greeting card will be in my studio in time for 1st Saturday, March 5th.

IRISH STEW

To make “meat”:
1/3 cup breadcrumbs 1 pound extra firm tofu
1/8 cup wheat bran 2 T soy sauce
2 T nutritional yeast 2 T olive oil
1 T onion powder
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1. In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, wheat bran, yeast, onion powder,
poultry seasoning and garlic powder.
2. Break up tofu into stew-sized chunks. Dip in soy sauce, then coat
with bread mixture. Put on oiled cookie sheet and bake at 375º oven
for 1 hour.

To make stew:
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, cut into chunks
1 T tomato paste
1 cup vegetable bouillon (I like Better Than Bouillon, No Beaf Base)
1 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet (optional for color)
1/2 vegan beer
salt, pepper to taste
pinch cayenne
1 T flour

1. In a large non-stick pot, put all ingredients except tofu. Cook over
medium heat until carrots are tender but firm, about 20 minutes.
2. Add cooked tofu.
3. Mix flour in a little water until smooth, then add to stew to thicken.
4. Serve with mashed potatoes.