VEGETARIAN "BEEF" STEW
I knew that would get your attention. My kids grew up in a vegetarian household for a long time. They both loved beef stew and I used to make this version for them. It took them quite a while to notice there was not any beef in their "beef" stew.
This recipe is actually a very hearty, simple vegetable stew.

What You Need:
Vegetable broth (you need to have 8 liquid ounces per serving.
You can buy prepared or make your own, doesn't matter)
2 med. onions, chopped
8-10 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopper
1 package Petit Green Peas (I used frozen back then...now I grow my own)
4 Med Potatoes, cut into small pieces (don't peel)
Cornstarch
Fresh ground Black Pepper
Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. Butter
Juice of 3 cloves of garlic
Oil to saute celery, onion and carrots
Saute the celery, onion and carrots in a large dutch oven or pot, seasoning with the fresh ground pepper and the garlic juice. Once the celery and onions begin to become transparent, toss in the peas, let mixture heat up again. Reduce heat to med-low, add broth, butter and potatoes. Simmer this mixture until the potatoes are done. Bring heat back up to med. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with COLD water and stir until completely dissolved. Slowly add this to the stew, stirring all the time. Let it cook just long enough to thicken slightly. Serve with homemade biscuits or cornbread.
This is great in the wintertime, especially on really cold days.

If you want to make this using tofu*, you can do that also. Use a med-firm to firm tofu and
cut into 1 inch cubes. Add to the recipe with the celery, onion, carrot saute step.

*While we are mentioning tofu, I would like to note that I am an "expert" on tofu. I have tried tofu every way that it can be prepared. I dedicated years to trying to love tofu, but never made the connection. I hated it then and I am still not particularly fond of it. Once I had a dish made with tofu in a Buddist monastery in California (the monks ran a vegetarian restautant to support themselves) that was wonderful, but by the time I was told it was made with tofu, we were about 100 miles away and I couldn't ask for the recipe. I still pick out the tiny pink pieces that are in the eggrolls in most Chinese restaurants. So if you are wondering why I hardly ever mention tofu in my vegetarian recipes, now you know. If you like tofu, good for you...it is a versatile and healthy alternative to meat, but it is not often on my menu.