Yid.Dish: Vegan Cholent
Image by JCarrot
Adapted from the Cholent Recipe in Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook.
There are two ways to make cholent – in a pot to eat right away and in a crock pot, which gives you a yummy, hearty Shabbat lunch meal. Both methods are included below.
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 large onion, cut into medium-dice
3 garlic cloves, minced (eh, why not four?)
1/2 tsp of tarragon
1 tsp of caraway seeds
1 tsp salt
several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 cup peeled, sliced carrots (about 1/2 inch thick)
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
2 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
1 (15-ounce can) tomato sauce
3 cups water (+ 1 cup vegetable stock for crock pot method)
1/2 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP) chunks
1/2 cup bulgher
1 cup canned and drained lima beans or green peas
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the oil until translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, tarragon, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. Saute until the garlic is fragrant, about a minute more.
Method One: Pot Deglaze the pot with the veggie broth. Add the bay leaves, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomato sauce, water, TVP, and bulgher. Mix together. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes and carrot are tender. Add the lima and kidney beans and cook until heated through. Serve like crazy. Ess gezunterhait.
Method Two: Crock Pot Deglaze the pot with veggie broth. Pour deglazed mixture into a large crock pot and add bay leaves, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomato sauce, water, vegetable stock, TVP, bulgher, lima beans and kidney beans. Mix together and let sit – with the crock pot turned OFF – until about 30 minutes before Shabbat. (This mixture can be made right before, or made in the morning and stored, covered, in the fridge). About 30 minutes before Shabbat, turn your crock pot to either “low” or “keep warm” (Depends on how insane your crock pot is – mine cooks like crazy no matter what, so I leave it on “keep warm”). Let the mixture cook sloooowwwwly, until lunch the next day.
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