I have such fond memories of it. We would go over to my grandmother's house and she'd make it for me, because she knew it was my favorite. Tender pieces of beef, chunky vegetables, and a sauce you could sop up with a piece of buttery white bread... it was heavenly. To this day, it brings back a rush of happiness when I think of it. But how will I live without it? As it turns out, with most new vegan options on the market-- I don't have to!
At VegFest 2011, I was introduced to a product by Gardein: Home Style Beefless Tips.
I tried it as a free sample in a stir-fry style dish, and it was good, but my first thought was "I bet you any money I can make beef stew out of this." And so I set off on my mission to find a great recipe.
It turns out it was super easy to find a recipe-- in fact, Chef Tal Ronnen had one of his own!
Chef Tal Ronnen's Beefless Stew
Ingredients:
- 1 package Gardein beefless tips (available in grocery stores nationwide)
- 3 tbsps vegetable oil
- 10 ozs pearl onions, peeled
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots, 1/2 inch diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 3 tbsps flour
- 3 cups vegan "beef" broth (try Better than Bouillon brand) or roasted vegetable stock
- 1 cup dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2 medium potatoes, 1/2 inch diced
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium high heat, add beefless tips and brown on all sides. Remove from saucepan and set aside. Add pearl onions, garlic and celery to saucepan and cook for 3 minutes. Add carrots, thyme and rosemary and continue to cook for an additional 3 minutes. Sprinkle in flour, then slowly add broth and wine while stirring. Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add beefless tips back in and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.____
This recipe was different from my grandmother's, but I figured I would try it Ronnen's way first and then perhaps attempt my grandma's recipe later on, subbing only the beefless tips. But the verdict here? It came out great!
The wine and broth reduced to a delicious stewy sauce, perfect for dipping with some crescent style rolls. Add a big salad on the side and you have the classic American dinner, the kind way. I really cannot stress how much Walt and I absolutely loved this meal (let's just say we didn't have any leftovers whatsoever.) Sitting at the dinner table together, saying grace, and sharing this homecooked, healthy and delicious meal with our kiddo... it was just great.
And we're off to the Far East...
So as a kid, I completely hated Stir Fry. There were few things that skeeved me out more than Chinese vegetables. I mean, what's with the baby corn? You can eat the core? I just didn't get it. The texture of water chestnuts freaked me out.
However, this must fall under the category of "things you learn to love over time," because I do love it now. I absolutely adore Asian food, so I decided to throw a little something together for dinner this week using
and
and
I basically sauteed the chik'n breasts in a wok with the Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce until it was nice and tender, then threw in the stir fry veggies to heat through, meanwhile making a pot of white rice. The result:
This was pretty good, but not great. I think it could have been better if the chik'n were cubed/ diced and added to more vegetables. The texture of this chik'n wasn't the greatest to me, but the flavor was nice and I think this dish has potential. I'm going to keep this idea in my recipe box and work on improving it for next time.
Generally, I'm noticing that the most convincing and delicious items are highly incorporated into things, versus just being out on their own like this chik'n breast. Perhaps my cooking just needs to adapt to a new style, but so far that's the theme with faux meats. I'm really impressed with Gardein products as a whole, though, and I will absolutely continue to purchase them.
Til next time!
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