Autumnal Stew

This recipe is pure fall. It’s loaded with curried root vegetables like beets, radishes, turnips, winter squash, and sweet potatoes. The broth is infused with loads of earthy and spicy curry powder which is the perfect warming-up spice for the cool weather.

Course Soup

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings people

Calories 281

Author Timothy Pakron

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 ½ cups chopped sweet potatoes
1 ½ cups chopped beets reserve some of the tops
1 ½ cups chopped butternut squash peeled
1 ½ cups chopped red kuri or kabocha squash peeled
1 ½ cups chopped or baby turnips
4 to 5 cloves minced garlic
¼ cup chopped fresh ginger peeled
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast duh
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons mirin*
6 cups filtered or spring water
3 tablespoons tamari or coconut aminos
1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 to 3 bay leaves
Beet greens about 1 cup, shredded
Turnip greens about 1 cup, shredded
Toasted pecans chopped (about 2 cups)
Fluffy quinoa a few cups
Fresh herbs like thyme, basil, or parsley, to garnish
1 lemon cut into slices

Instructions

In a large pot, add olive oil, onion, sweet potatoes, beets, butternut squash, red kuri squash, and turnips. Bring to medium heat, stirring often, and cook for about 10 minutes until the onions are soft and the vegetables begin to brown.
Next, throw in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, nutritional yeast, and cinnamon. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often, to toast the seasonings and spices and soften the garlic.
Add the mirin, water, tamari, chopped tomatoes, sea salt, and bay leaves. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and succulent. Once they are done, throw in the shredded beet greens and turnip greens. Give it a taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Cook for a few more minutes until the greens are tender.
To serve, remove the bay leaves and ladle the soup into pretty bowls. Add a scoop of fluffy quinoa in the middle and sprinkle on top some toasted pecans and whatever fresh herbs you desire. On the side, serve a small slice of lemon with each bowl to be squeezed on top right before consuming.

Notes

Mirin is a Japanese cooking wine that is sweet and pairs perfectly with tamari or soy sauce. It works beautifully in marinades, soups, and salad dressings. I recommend this brand.

For the quinoa, I like to add a splash of rice vinegar, a sprinkling of nutritional yeast, a few pinches of salt, a crack of pepper, and a drizzle of smoked olive oil or toasted sesame seed oil before cooking. You could also add a pinch of curry powder and cinnamon to echo the flavors in the soup.

You can totally eat the tops of beets and turnips. Just make sure to rinse them thoroughly as they can oftentimes be sandy. I don’t particularly like them raw, but once they are wilted in a hot broth, they become tender and delicious!

Nutrition