Millet and Burdock Root Stew

I had a hard time finding burdock root at the grocery store. Not because they didn't have any, in fact the Berkeley Bowl had it in two spots. It was just labeled "gobo" which I learned is it's Japanese name. The produce guy I asked took me to where it was, but I guess he also didn't really know what it looked like so we had to find the head produce guy before we found it. They then discussed making sure that the signs are labeled with both names. I'll have to check if they've updated them next time I go.

This is what it looks like - burdock root or gobo.

This stew was slightly sweet & nutty. It got really thick & the edges burned a bit. I think this may be because my slowcooker is really big and the recipe calls for a smaller one. It was still tasty even though it's consistency was more like mush. It might have also just cooked too longer. Next time I might add another cup of broth or water.

It doesn't look like much, but it was really tasty & comforting. It had lots of meaty mushrooms & the millet was the perfect grain.

Farmhouse Stew

7.7.12

Another recipe with green beans from the garden! Carrots too! We even used the last jar of canned tomatoes from last year's garden just in time for the 1st red one of this year. I made homemade seitan first before adding some to this recipe. Seitan is made of wheat flour and vital wheat gluten and can also be made in the slow cooker. This recipe didn't call for any spices except salt and pepper and I was worried it wouldn't have much flavor. But the potatoes, carrots and beans were very tasty. I think the seitan added a lot of flavor.

Stew with homemade rye sourdough bread.

Dueling Crock-Pots!

Soon after we bought our house, Patrick found a "new" crock-pot at a garage sale last summer.

Kidney Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

So I borrowed Katie's vegetarian slow cooker cookbook and made a few soups this winter. Both were simple and tasty.

Tortilla-Tomato Soup served with avocado and fresh cilantro

Indian Cauliflower and Kidney Bean Stew with Coconut Milk

4.26.10
My sister prepped & made this dish for our dinner. It was perfect comfort food after a tiring Monday at work and a trip to the gym. My husband came home and immediately said "It smells good in here" before he had even shut the garage door. We ate it over brown rice and used a whole can of coconut milk instead of just one 1 cup 'cause -- why wouldn't you? Didn't drain the tomatoes either. It was pretty sweet from the cardamom & allspice, but the savory spices & beans & variety of veggies evened it out. You can totally add a larger amount of potatoes & cauliflower if you have a 6-quart cooker and add in the extra liquid. Then you'll have more leftovers!

Something that came up over dinner - the crockpot smell. First you smell the dish you are making and then there is always the underlying same smell, not sure what it smells like. It kinda made me think of my mom cooking potroast in her slow cooker back in the day. But it doesn't quite smell like meat, just hours & hours of cooking. We'll see if it keeps coming up.