Vegan Mofo: Hearty Irish Stew

My son has been requesting this stew for awhile. Yesterday we finally got around to making it, or I should say my husband made it. He is always the one who makes it, because it is his recipe. We originally came up with the idea in the first place while looking for ideas of what to serve at our rehearsal dinner at The Local.

It is my favorite stew, and fits perfectly with the current brisk weather we've been having lately. Another possible name for it could be Irish Root Stew with rutabaga, sweet potatoes, carrots, and potatoes.

Hearty Irish Stew:

2 medium onions chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup unbleached flour
4 c. water
One package (8 oz or more) seitan
1 cup carrot, sliced into rounds
1 cup rutabagas, peeled and diced
1 cup potatoes, diced
1 cup sweet potatoes
1/2 cup split red lentils
1 Tbsp. parsley
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 vegetarian or soy bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp. EACH parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (the hubbu insisted I type it this way)
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large, lightly oiled, heavy pot, steam-fry the onion and garlic until it begins to soften. Add the flour and water, then stir around thoroughly. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down to low, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are done.

Items Used for Meal:
1) Seitan ($3.79, Whole Foods)
2) 1 cup rutabaga & organic: potato, sweet potato, carrots ($4.00, Trader Joes & Whole Foods)
3) Lentils ($.25, Whole Foods)
4) Spices, flour, vegetable bouillion, soy sauce ($2.00, Whole Foods)
5) Organic Onions & Garlic ($0.50, Trader Joe's)
6) Nutrional Yeast ($0.25, The Wedge Co-op)

Total Time Spent Making Meal: 15 minutes preparation & 30 minutes to cook


Total Cost of Meal for Family of Four: $10.79, or about $1.79 per person (Note two bowls of soup make leftovers, so I divided the total cost by 6