14. Vegetable Stew with Polenta Croutons
Ingredients
Sauce Base :
- 3 cups strained tomatoes
- 1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
Seasonings :
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
- Few dashes of pepper
Beans :
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, cooked, rinsed, and drained
Vegetables :
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 medium zuccini
- 1 small long neck yellow squash (or summer squash)
- 1 cup crimini mushrooms, chopped
Polenta Croutons :
- A few slices of precooked polenta
- Sea salt
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Olive oil for cooking
Instruction
- Begin by dicing the onion and mincing the garlic. Heat a large soup pan to medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions turn translucent. Add in the strained tomatoes (I purchased a jar of organic ones at Whole Foods by Bionaturae that was exactly 3 cups). Add the cooked, rinsed, and drained chickpeas at this time as well. Season with above seasonings, stir well, and let simmer on medium heat while you chop the vegetables. Once all the veggies are chopped add them to the pot, stir well and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 15-20 minutes (or until veggies are done). I turned my burner off at this time and let the pot sit covered while I prepared the polenta croutons.
- For the polenta croutons, I used a few slices of a pre-cooked polenta tube. Cut each slice into quarters, and season with sea salt, dried basil, and oregano. Cook in a small pan on medium heat with a little olive oil until crispy (about 5 minutes on each side). Serve these on top of each bowl of stew, if desired.
