Crock Pot Veggie Stew

Remember all that progress I wanted to make in the kitchen last weekend? Well . . . we didn't cross a single thing off our to-do list.

But we did add something: A cabinet over the stove.


We use it to store the millions of mixing bowls that I just can't get rid of. Don't get me wrong, I've purged a lot of unnecessary things -- but my mixing bowls all have different purposes!

I feel really thankful to finally be able to do something in our kitchen. But I can't help saying "is it OVER yet?" pretty much any chance I get. One reason I'm so irked is that cooking is impossible. I've read a lot of great things about how you should do kitchen remodels -- and almost all involve setting up a makeshift kitchen elsewhere in the home.

We have no space for that, so I've decided our "mini-kitchen" is the crock pot.


(BOOZY) CROCK POT VEGGIE STEW

I don't need to explain how to make stew in the crock pot. But I'll tell you what we put in our most recent go at it, and maybe you can share some of your own favorite combos with me!

• 2 cooking onions, chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chopped delicata squash (skinned and seeded)
• 2 cups canned kidney beans, rinsed
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 cups frozen green beans (chopped into smaller bits)
• 1 zucchini (chopped)
• 28 ounces tomato puree
• 12 ounces winter beer (or veggie broth!)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste
• Smoked paprika, oregano, and thyme -- all to taste

I cooked the onions and garlic in a tablespoon or two of olive oil over medium heat on the stove. Then I put everything into the pot -- stirred -- and cooked on high for 3 hours. I seasoned more till I got it just right (read: I dumped in half a jar of smoked paprika -- hahaha).

Serve with crusty bread + cheese + another brew for good measure. Delicious. And lots of leftovers for lunch.


As I mentioned in the ingredient list, you can certainly substitute veggie broth for beer. I use beer when I'm being lazy/don't have broth/and want to add a variety of flavors. In this case, we used a Sam Adam's Winter Lager -- lots of orange peel, ginger, and cinnamon flavors.

I'll be cranking up the heat in the pot again tonight. What is your favorite crock pot meal? I need ideas beyond our usual Pumpkin Chili!

Pssst: Check out Writing Chapter Three for part II of our quest for a simple holiday. Ada's Christmas list.

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Dill Potato Salad

GOOD NEWS: It's January 11th -- ten days after the New Year began -- and I'm still doing well with the healthy eating. This recipe makes a great, filling lunch that lasts for four days for one OR two days for two. The dill is key for us, but if you're into another type of flavoring, go with it. We used walnut oil because it's what we had, but olive oil (or grapeseed, even avocado!) is also a good substitute.

I'd like to focus the blog on menu planning next week. I've been a champ at it lately. Since we're on an incredibly tight budget, our food money has to stretch farther than ever these days. I've been mapping out meals on the weekends and buying specifically for those meals. It's working fantastically for us -- so much so that we're finding no reason to order out, even with a newborn in the house.

And we're still eating like vegetarian royalty.

DILL POTATO SALAD

What you'll need . . .

• 5 to 6 medium red potatoes
• 2 to 3 cups frozen green beans
• 15 ounce can of Canelli beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup walnut oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dill

Method . . .

1. Fill a stock pot with cold water and bring to a boil. I put a tablespoon of salt in there, too.
2. Scrub and rinse potatoes. Cut into 1/2 to 1 inch slices (I cut mine in half first). Then put them in the boiling water to cook for about 10 minutes. Potatoes should be soft, but not mushy.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the walnut oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and dill. You can add more oil if you want, but I found that 1/3 cup does the trick.
4. Put a tablespoon or 2 of the oil mixture into a pan and heat over medium heat. Pour your green beans into the pan and cook until softer, but still slightly crisp.
5. When your potatoes are done cooking, drain and then place them in the bowl with the oil mixture. Add the green beans, too. Then add your drained and rinsed white beans. Mix well until everything is coated.
6. Portion out for 4 lunches in all.

NOTE: You'll obviously want to refrigerate those portions, but you can serve this salad hot or cold. I prefer it somewhere in between those extremes.

Sorry to be brief today. I'm working to get Ada on SOME sort of schedule. If you'd like to read more about life at our house these days, check out (never home)maker, baby! Ada is 8 weeks old, and I'm sharing a postpartum update.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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