Tempeh & Veggie Stew

4 TBSP butter, ghee, or coconut oil
4 (3 to 4 inch) strips kombu seaweed, broken into 1 inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 TBSP peeled, minced fresh ginger
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or sage
2 (8 oz) packages soy tempeh, cut into 1-inch squares
4 TBSP tamari/soy sauce
1 TBSP pure maple syrup (or 6 drops of liquid stevia)
1 large onion, cut into 1/2 inch think slices
1 & 1/2 pounds winter squash, seeded & cut into 2-inch chunks
1 large or 2 medium parsnips, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 large carrots, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
pure salt
2 tsps arrowroot powder
2 scallions, thinly sliced

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Chop all the veggies.
• In a large corning ware over medium heat, melt the butter or oil.
• Add the kombu & saute for 2 mins.
• Add the garlic, ginger & rosemary or sage.
• Arrange the tempeh in a layer on top.
• In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup of water w/ 2 TBSP of the tamari & the maple syrup (or stevia).
• Pour over the tempeh.
• Top the tempeh w/ a layer each of onions, squash, parsnip, & carrot – in that order.
• Sprinkle w/ salt.
• Cover the casserole & bring to a boil.
• Transfer casserole to the oven & bake until the veggies are tender, about 25 mins (poke a large piece of carrot w/ fork to check).
• With a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables & tempeh to a serving bowl, leaving the juices in the corning ware
• Place the corning ware over medium heat.
• In a small bowl, dissolve the arrowroot in 1 & 1/2 cups of cold water & add the remaining 2 TBSP soy sauce.
• Whisk this mixture into the juices in the corning ware.
• Simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
• Pour the sauce over the tempeh & vegetables.
• Gently fold in the scallions & serve w/ a side dish of your choosing.

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SIDE NOTES:

~ Adapted from “Fresh Food Fast”

~ Make sure the cookware you choose can go both on the stove top & in oven (I use a large corning ware).

~ In reference to Kombu…….Sea vegetables are extremely nutritious with tons of phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, fiber & even a little protein. They are said to prevent & treat many types of cancer, lower blood cholesterol & blood pressure, prevent ulcers and kill bacteria. You don’t need to eat a big seaweed salad to get the benefits, a sprinkle here & there is good. However, you can skip this step if you can’t be bothered. Been there.

~ I’d consider this a fairly complicated/time-consuming meal to prepare. In light of that – a few legal cheats – jarred, minced ginger (you can even get this organic if interested), and pre-peeled/pre-cut butternut squash.

~ Before you add the garlic & ginger, lower the heat for a few minutes. The first time I made this, there was sort of a popping explosion & garlic/ginger went flying all over the kitchen.

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