This stew or hotpot has a much more interesting flavor than traditional stew. It has more umami (savoury, rich, yum) due to the mix or layers of flavor provided by the squash, shiitake mushrooms, parsnips, soy sauce, and white wine (optional).

Shopping List

  • 1 large parsnip
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 3 small carrots
  • 1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
  • 3 large portabello mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 cup of chopped green beans (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 can (15 oz) organic diced tomatoes (reduce if desired or sub with tomato paste)
  • Organic vegetable bouillon
  • Organic extra-virgin olive oil
  • Onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried cilantro or parsley, sea or Himalayan salt, 3 bay leaves
  • Optional: 1/4 cup white wine, 1 tbsp. soy/tamari, 1 tbsp. tomato paste

METHOD

1. Peel and dice:

Half an acorn squash
1 large parsnip
1 large onion
3 small carrots
2 celery sticks
1 cup Chopped shiitake mushrooms

*Note: The secret to a good stew is to chop everything to roughly the same size. I dice mine small – about 1/4″ square. This is also good for digestion as most people don’t chew enough before swallowing 😉

2. Pan fry all these together in large, deep pan with about 1/4 cup organic extra-virgin olive oil until onions are soft. Squash and parnsips will not be cooked, that’s okay. Just pan fry until onions are soft.

3. Now chop up the 3 portabello mushrooms, add to your frying pan of veggies, and sprinkle these seasonings on the portabellos:

1 tbsp. Soy or Tamari, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried cilantro or parsley, sea or Himalayan salt*.

*Listen to your body intuition and add as much or as little of these herbs as your body wants. If you’re not sure, you can always add more later, it’s all good! Trust your body, start sprinkling and stop when you feel, “enough”.

4. Mix together well and sear the portabello mushrooms. Then transfer the entire mixture to an extra large sauce pan (about 10 liters – needs to fit about 11 cups of stew) or stock pot and add 3 bay leaves (if you don’t have any Bay leaf it’s okay, it still tastes great without it).

5. Then add 6 cups filtered or spring water, the can of diced tomatoes (OR substitute the canned tomatoes for 1 tbsp. tomato paste + 1 cup water, if you prefer), and whichever vegetable bouillon you prefer: Use 2-3 squares of pressed bouillon, or 1/4 cup of paste, or 2-3 tbsp of powdered bouillon*

*Note: your bouillon plays a huge role in how good your stew will be. Test out different brands until you find the best one. Also, bouillon involves roasting/boiling down vegetables so you’re going to get a concentration of any toxins/pesticides present. So be sure and use certified organic bouillon only.

6. Bring stew to a boil in the large sauce pan, add 1/4 cup white wine (optional but will increase flavor and alcohol will burn off) and simmer for about one hour. Keep adding more water as the liquid boils off and reduces, and according to how thick/thin you like your gravy. If you like your gravy really thick, you can always thicken with rice, tapioca or corn starch.

7. Add 1 cup of chopped green beans (fresh or frozen) half an hour before you plan to eat the stew.

Feel free to switch out, or add more veggies to this recipe, as you like. For example, you can sub the acorn squash for butternut, if you prefer.

You can also add: Peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, black beans, or pinto beans, corn, swiss chard, cauliflower, broccoli, snow peas, bok choy, savoy cabbage, etc. The variations are endless! In fact, you could make this same stew every week, just changing the veggies and have it taste different (but yummy) every time.

Portabello mushrooms are a great source of protein, B vitamins, copper, selenium and anti-cancer agents. 1 Cup of Portabello Mushroom contains:

5.2 grams protein
7.2 milligrams niacin – Vit B3 (36 percent DV)
0.6 milligram riboflavin – Vit B2 (34 percent DV)
21.4 micrograms selenium (31 percent DV)
0.6 milligram copper (30 percent DV)
1.9 milligrams pantothenic acid (19 percent DV)
182 milligrams phosphorus (18 percent DV)
630 milligrams potassium (18 percent DV)
0.1 milligram thiamine (7 percent DV)
23 micrograms folate (6 percent DV)
0.9 milligrams zinc (6 percent DV)
18.1 milligrams magnesium (5 percent DV)
0.1 milligram manganese (5 percent DV)
0.1 milligram vitamin B6 (4 percent DV)
0.7 milligram iron (4 percent DV)

*If you also eat meat, click here for the beef version of this stew.