Remarkably similar in taste to real beef stew, but made with kidney beans for that no-cholesterol, no-fat goodness.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried beans (or one can pre-cooked beans)
• 2 or 3 cups water
• Several cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
• One small yellow onion, diced
• One large potato, diced (do not pre-cook)
• One carrot, chopped coarsely
• One portabello mushroom, sliced in 1-inch pieces
• One or two teaspoons each: salt, pepper, and chili powder
• extra flour or cornstarch (optional)
• tamari (soy sauce), nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

Method:

Soak the beans overnight. Rinse and cook for half an hour.

Add 2 or 3 cups water and bring back to a boil. Add the vegetables and bring back to a boil. Simmer, covered, until the potato and beans are thoroughly cooked.

To thicken: In a closed tupperware container, shake up two or three tablespoons of flour with a half cup of water. Add to the stew and bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add a small amount of tamari (soy sauce) to darken the stew's color, and a few teaspoons of nutritional yeast flakes for flavor, if desired.

Notes:

This stew takes about an hour to prepare -- less if made with pre-cooked, canned beans. The longer it simmers, the better its flavor.

This stew refrigerates and freezes well. It should be brought to a boil in a saucepan when re-heating.

As shown, recipe makes roughly six servings (with all those ingredients, it's hard to make only a small amount). Tasty with crackers, rolls, or cheese.

When preparing this recipe and any other food you enjoy, please use organically-grown vegetables, fruits, grains, and flavorings. The Earth you save may be your own.