Hearty Irish Lager Stew

Last week we tried a new recipe out of this month's Vegetarian Times magazine. It was delicious!!!! It was definitely more time consuming than other recipes, so a good one for a day off. The stew had a great flavor and had a different kind of taste than most things we cook, maybe from the lager. I had never cooked with parsnips before and was pleasantly surprised. They taste very similar to carrots, but a little less sweet. Tasty!

 Hearty Irish Lager Stew

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

8 oz. button or shiitake mushrooms, halved

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1 medium leek, white part only, diced (1 cup)

3 small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (1 1/2 cups)

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (2 cups)

2 small parsnips, peeled and sliced (1 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 tsp. tomato paste

1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 sprigs fresh thyme, tied in a bundle, plus 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme, divided

1/2 cup lager beer

1 1/2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 Tbsp. white miso

2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Heat 1/2 Tbsp. oil in large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute 8 minutes, or until mushrooms are browned. Remove from pan. Add remaining 1/2 Tbsp. oil to pot. Add leek, and cook 5 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and tomato paste. Cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, and thyme sprigs; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
2. Add lager, tapioca, and mushrooms. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened, stirring often. Remove thyme sprigs, stir in cabbage and miso, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, or until cabbage softens. Stir in chopped thyme and parsley, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. 

Per 1-cup serving: 118 cal; 4g prot; 2g total fat (<1g sat fat); 23g carb; 0 mg chol; 204mg sod; 5g fiber; 5 g sugar.

Note:  When it says 2 cloves garlic, we always put more. Garlic is one of our favorite things to cook with, and the more the merrier! Also, we don't peel carrots anymore. Same for the parsnips. You can't tell a difference in the dishes we make, and the closer to the ground the better!