….it is almost fall- my favorite season of the year! Not only is the weather nearly perfect (I love jeans and sweatshirt weather!), but fall means it is also time for apple picking (so excited for honeycrisps!), corn mazes, The Tri-State Rodeo, pumpkin carving, roasting pumpkin seeds, colorful leaves on the trees, tailgating?, long walks outside, and cooking warm and comforting meals (yes, all of these things are on my “to do” list for the coming months). I got started on one of these, cooking warm and comforting meals, this past Friday….hey, it was August 31st which means it was practically September! 😉
Doesn’t this just scream fall/winter?? Look at the steam rolling off of that baby!
I adapted this CrockPot vegetable stew recipe from the blog, Sweet Tooth Sweet Life.
Ingredients
5 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, cut into 1/2 inch strips
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
1 small red bell pepper (or the color of your choice), cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 14.5 oz can of italian-style diced tomatoes (do not drain)
2-1/2 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp corn starch
4 tsp cold water
*Ignore the zucchini in the picture above. I had originally planned on using it but then my CrockPot got too full! 🙁
1. Chop all vegetables and place into CrockPot.
2. Add tomatoes, broth, and seasonings.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
5. Combine corn starch and water and stir until combined. Add corn starch mixture to the CrockPot and cook an additional 20 minutes on high. Stir occasionally until thickened.
6. Eat!
The cook time is perfect for turning the CrockPot on when you leave for work and having dinner nearly prepared when you get home. Also, if you do not own a CrockPot, you should seriously consider investing in one. You can get a relatively good one for around $25. The one I use is a 4-quart slow cooker. Plan on seeing lots of slow cooker recipes to come!
Lastly, you could certainly add some protein to this recipe by adding in chicken, beef, or tofu. You can also change up the vegetables to your liking!
