beef-style stew with gremolata

A few years ago I made a vegan beef stew for a friend of mine who was going vegetarian. He had said that it was beef stew he was really missing. It was his comfort food. I made him the version below. He wound up saying it was too much like beef stew and therefore couldn't eat it!

While I think the dish came out pretty good, I can say without a doubt that there is no beef in it at all, and while it is nostalgically reminiscent of beef stew, there is no cow anywhere.

I make this stew using seitan, but Beyond Meat chicken strips work just as well - or simply adding more vegetables. Since this is not an animal-based stew, it is not dependent on meat for the flavor or thickness, therefore you can sub for the seitan with ease.

I cooked celery, carrots, onions, peas and potatoes in this dish, but any root vegetable would be equally delicious (if not better) - parsnip, turnip, rutabaga, fennel or even sweet potatoes.

For an added zing, make the gremolata. Gremolata is a mixture of minced parsley, minced garlic and lemon zest. It offers a fresh and piquant flavor to the earthy and rich-tasting stew. You could also serve the stew over cooked pasta. So good!

BEEF-STYLE STEW WITH GREMOLATA PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

If you haven't entered the giveaway for Robin Robertson's More Quick-Fix Vegan cookbook, go do it now! Contest ends May 1.

I am linking to these recipe parties: The blogs hosting Healthy Vegan Fridays are Suzanne at Hello Veggie, Anna at Herbivore Triathlete, and Kimmy at Rock My Vegan Socks.  

I’ve also decided to submit this dish to What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Peas and Crayons.