Rainy Day Stew

Rain, rain, and some more rain. That's what our February days have been made of. 

These last few weeks, we've seen so much rain. The waterways, streams, and even the river are rising and our ground is sopping wet. I'm a lover of rainy days, though I also do love the sunshine and am craving some right about now. Rainy days invite me to slow down just a bit and savour more deeply the things that I love, one of which is cooking. On those days when the sky is grey, the clouds are heavy and the sound of rain can be heard, I love spending an afternoon in the kitchen. Chopping, sauteing and stirring. I love dishes that cook low and slow, all afternoon into the evening. The house smells divine and makes our house a home. This stew is one of those recipes. Home comforts at their finest, my friends. 

Rainy Day Stew

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 beef roast, trimmed and cubed

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

6 ounces tomato paste

5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

4 cups vegetable broth

2 small cartons fresh mushrooms, quartered

Combine the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning in a large baggie. Toss the meat around until all covered in the flour mixture. 

In a Dutch oven, drizzle a bit of olive oil, and heat over medium. Cook the meat in batches and brown on all sides. I was able to do mine in two batches, but yours may be more or less depending on how much meat you have.

Remove the meat from the Dutch oven once browned and place on a plate.

Drizzle a bit more olive oil in the pan, and add the onion and garlic; saute until the onions are translucent and tender. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and Italian seasoning. Combine well.

Return the meat to the Dutch oven and add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and vegetable broth. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for at least 2 hours.

(You may need to add some water or more vegetable broth to the stew as it cooks. Make sure the meat and veggies are always covered with liquid. If the liquid is too thin after the cooking time, you can thicken it up by whisking together a slurry of cornstarch and water and adding it to the stew. Stir in to combine and simmer for a few minutes after.)

Enjoy! 

Chocolate-Covered-Strawberry Icebox Cake

Seeing as yesterday was Valentine's Day, I began pondering last week what kind of special dessert I wanted to make for the day. Something festive and perhaps red and definitely tasty. I also knew that I wanted something with not much sugar and no dairy. Ah, our favorite icebox cake, it was!

Last Spring I made a similar recipe to this one and we all loved it so much. (Everyone except my dad, as he does not like anything even slightly healthy, nor does he eat homecooking. Yes, you read that right!) When I made it on Tuesday afternoon, I made a few revisions and added vegan dark chocolate chips, because, well, it was going to be Valentine's Day. Oh my, was it heavenly! It really tasted just like a chocolate covered strawberry.

You can add blueberries to this cake if you want a patriotic dessert for Memorial Day or the 4th of July. And you can easily leave off the chocolate, which is how I would normally make it. But I do love to make holidays special and sweet. While this recipe is good anytime of year, I must say that this is one recipe you'll want to tuck away for those hot summer days when you don't want to turn on the oven. 

Enough rambling, let's get on with the recipe, shall we?

Chocolate-Covered-Strawberry Icebox Cake

honey graham crackers

3 cans of coconut cream (not coconut milk and not reduced fat) 

about 2 tbsp. honey

washed and sliced fresh strawberries

1 bag dark chocolate chips, melted (optional)

The night before: 

Put the cans of coconut cream in the fridge overnight. This step is crucial to making whipped cream so you cannot forget this step. 

To make:

Open the cans of coconut cream and carefully drain off the excess liquid. You can save this for another use if you wish. Scoop out the thickened cream into a mixing bowl, and begin beating with your hand mixer until fluffy. Drizzle in about two tablespoons of honey, and continue to beat until incorporated and smooth.

In a 9x13 inch baking pan, place a single layer of graham crackers. Gently spread an even layer of the whipped cream over the crackers. Using an offset spatula makes this step a lot easier and less messy, but a knife works fine too. Then, scatter a layer of strawberries over the cream and finally drizzle with the melted chocolate (if using). Repeat with another layer of crackers, cream, berries and chocolate. Repeat one final time, finishing with a nice, thick drizzle of chocolate. 

(If you are not using chocolate, simply sprinkle some graham cracker crumbs on the top.)

Set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, though overnight is best.  

The next day, simply cut and enjoy! 

Notes:

~You can add blueberries for a patriotic dessert.

~You can leave off the chocolate.

~You can use other flavors of graham crackers.

~You can easily make a chocolate whipped cream by adding a bit of cacao powder, along with the honey.

~Be creative and come up with your own flavor combinations!