Winter Veggie Baked Stew

Winter Veggie Baked Stew/ Au Gratin

This winter we haven't had much rain here in Antioch, but this week, temperatures dropped a little and  it's rained for about 3-4 days....great weather for some warm, hearty, but healthy comfort food.I love making mixed vegetable stews/au gratins because there are so many different ways you can change up in it, plus I usually add some kind of protein to it so that  it's a complete-one-pot meal, which is nice on weeknights. Depending on what I have in my fridge and how much time I have...I play around with putting in different veggies, herbs, types of cheese or no cheese, different forms of protein (black beans, quinoa, cannelli beans) and vary the forms of liquid (milk, broth, coconut milk)....so have a little fun with it.Also, if you have any dutch oven type of pots....this is a great dish for those lovely pans. I love making it my new beautiful, orange Le Creuset 4 1/4-qt. sauté pan with lid (courtesy of my wonderful sister :)...thanks Dimp!)...because I can cook with it right on the stove top and it comes out like it's been baked. Or if I just want to bake, I generally cook some of it on the stove and then put it directly into the oven ...and voila 35-40 minutes later...dinner's all ready!I would love to hear what you all put in your your Stews/ Au Gratins...always open to new ideas and things to try!

Winter Veggie Baked Stew

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups broccoli, washed, de-stemmed and cut into 1 inch florets
• 3 med- potatoes, washed (really well) and cut into thin slices (I leave the peels on in this dish, but you can take them off if that's what you like)
• 3 cups fennel, washed and thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, washed, peeled and sliced into quarter-inch rounds
• 2 cups cooked quinoa or one, 32 oz can black beans drained
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups gruyere cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 3 cups vegetable broth or milk
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon marjarom
• 1 teaspoon oregeno
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper ( I personally LOVE pepper, so I tend to put about 1 teaspoon in my dishes)
• 2 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon asafoteida or 2 cloves garlic, grated/ finely chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons rice flour or white flour
• red chilli flakes to garnish, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. If you're going to bake it, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter the inside of a 9x13 or bigger baking dish.
2. Place oil in deep, large saucepan on medium heat. Once warmed up, add all herbs, except for asafoteida and salt. Let simmer for about 1 minute (this step infuses the oil). Next place the asafetida or garlic and sauté for another minute.
3. Add fennel and carrots, mix and let cook for about 1 minute.
4. Then add broccoli, potatoes and salt. Mix thoroughly and cook covered for about 3 minutes.
5. Add flour and mix gently so that all veggies are lightly coated.
6. Next add broth or milk to the dish.
7. Once it is slightly boiling, add your protein of choice and cheeses, mix gently.
8. Cover and reduce stove temperature to medium low and let cook for 30 minutes. If you you plan on baking this dish, then add that this time transfer to baking pan if are not using a pan that can directly go in the oven. Cover with foil (or with lid), place in oven and bake for about 35 minutes covered and then an additional 5 minuted uncovered.
9. Let stand 10 minutes. Then serve. For those that enjoy a little spice, red chili flakes taste great on top!

ENJOY!

VEGAN NOTES

• Use the oil and broth and in place of cheese add 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and 1 tablespoon tahini instead of cheese.

GLUTEN FREE NOTES

• This is completely GF! Yay!

YOGIC COOKING NOTES

• Pitta Constitutions, I would recommend using the milk and adding less black pepper.
• Kapha Constitutions, I would recommend using the broth, no cheese, adding the nutritional yeast and adding more pepper or 1 teaspoon jalapeño to the dish.
• Vata Constitutions, I would recommend using half sweet potatoes/ half white potatoes, to replace the broccoli with some kind of squash and definitely use the milk and butter.