Excited about . . . Garden Vegetable Stew with or without Dumplings

     A few weeks ago, two young boys and their mom came to our house to visit.  Before they left, they picked vegetable in our garden. They were both super excited and the youngest one said to his mom, “When we get home you can make vegetable stew!”

     His words were my inspiration and now I, too, am EXCITED about garden vegetable stew. As a matter of fact I’ve made it three times in the last three weeks.

     The meatless stew is full of flavor and quite filling; Barry didn’t even miss the meat. And, if you really want a hearty dish, I’ve added a variation that includes topping the stew with dumplings made from a homemade baking mix.

     And, of course, since it’s garden vegetable stew, use whatever veggies and herbs  are available in your garden or at the Farmer’s Market.

Garden Vegetable Stew

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small to medium onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 or 3 summer squash, such as yellow crooknecks or zucchini, diced

A handful or two of okra, cut into about ½” chunks

2 or 3 carrots, diced

2 or 3 potatoes, diced

1 or 2 handfuls of kale, stems removed and finely chopped

3 or 4 bushy sprigs of fresh thyme

4 of 5 sprigs of parsley

1  bay leaf

About 1 ½ to 2  cups peeled and chopped tomatoes

Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper

32 oz. carton beef, chicken or vegetarian broth — divided use (may or may not use it all)

1. Heat oil over medium heat in Dutch oven or stockpot. Add diced onions and green pepper and sauté until tender.
   
2. Add diced summer squash, chunked okra, diced carrots and potatoes.
   
3. Add finely chopped kale. 
4. Tie kitchen string around the base of the thyme and parsley, immerse into veggies, tying the string about the handles of the pot for easy removal. Add bay leaf.
   
5. Add tomatoes + salt and pepper to taste.
   
6. Add about half the carton of broth. Bring stew to a boil, reduce heat, add lid and allow the stew to simmer until veggies are tender, about 30 to 45 minutes or longer. Check occasionally, adding more broth as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. 
   

Stew with Dumplings

I made just a small batch of dumplings to go with this stew. For the full size recipe, to our link—Easy Dumplings.

½ cup Baking Mix, homemade or commercial (such as Bisquick®)

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

1. Add milk to the Baking Mix all at once, stirring about 30 strokes.
2. Add enough broth to the stew to make it soup like. (At this point, I use the rest of the 32 oz. box of broth)
3. Bring stew/soup to a boil.
4. Drop by teaspoons (as in dinner table teaspoon) on top of boiling stew.
   
5. Cover and simmer 12 minutes without removing cover.
   

Recipes without photos . . .

Garden Vegetable Stew

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small to medium onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 or 3 summer squash, such as yellow crooknecks or zucchini, diced

A handful or two of okra, cut into about ½” chunks

2 or 3 carrots, diced

2 or 3 potatoes, diced

1 or 2 handfuls of kale, stems removed and finely chopped

3 or 4 bushy sprigs of fresh thyme

4 of 5 sprigs of parsley

1  bay leaf

About 1 ½ to 2  cups peeled and chopped tomatoes

Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper

32 oz. carton beef, chicken or vegetarian broth — divided use (may or may not use it all)

1. Heat oil over medium heat in Dutch oven or stockpot. Add diced onions and green pepper and sauté until tender.
2. Add diced summer squash, chunked okra, diced carrots and potatoes.
3. Add finely chopped kale. 
4. Tie kitchen string around the base of the thyme and parsley, immerse into veggies, tying the string about the handles of the pot for easy removal. Add bay leaf.
5. Add tomatoes + salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add about half the carton of broth. Bring stew to a boil, reduce heat, add lid and allow the stew to simmer until veggies are tender, about 30 to 45 minutes or longer. Check occasionally, adding more broth as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. 

Stew with Dumplings

I made just a small batch of dumplings to go with this stew. For the full size recipe, to our link—Easy Dumplings.

½ cup Baking Mix, homemade or commercial (such as Bisquick®)

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

1. Add milk to the Baking Mix all at once, stirring about 30 strokes.
2. Add enough broth to the stew to make it soup like. (At this point, I use the rest of the 32 oz. box of broth)
3. Bring stew/soup to a boil.
4. Drop by teaspoons (as in dinner table teaspoon) on top of boiling stew.
5. Cover and simmer 12 minutes without removing cover.