Whole 30 Day 4- Country Veggie Stew, Drunken Veggie Stew, Apple Pie Smoothie

I'm still here. 

I wrote my good-bye post on my Whole 30 group page, but after some discussion and some meal planning for next week, I decided not to break it off. I am making some changes, modifying the program even a bit more, and even adding some meat into my diet. 

I believe in the Whole 30 and I believe in a whole foods diet. Especially for me. I've done this off and on forever, and I know this is the way I need to eat. It's certainly not a perfect Whole 30, but it's what is best for me. 

So here we go. 

Breakfast:
Iced Pumpkin Spice Tea (YUM, by the way)
Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie, minus the greens and with unsweetened applesauce instead of dates

Lunch:
Leftover tilapia and roasted asparagus and mushrooms
Iced Pumpkin Spice Tea

Dinner:
Drunken Flemish Stew 
Smothered Cabbage

Snack:
Apple Pie Smoothie

This is my kid's lunch. 

Country Veggie Stew
I promised this recipe yesterday. I cooked it on day 2, but didn't feel like eating it. I had it for lunch yesterday, and served it to my kids again for lunch today. 
This is a hearty, mildly sweet stew. It's very satisfying on a cold, wet, rainy day, or when you need some comfort food.
I like dried mushrooms in my stews because, besides the convenience of being shelf stable and less expensive than fresh, they lend a meatier flavor to the gravy. I used a mixture of buttons and shiitakes. You may use any mushrooms you like.

3 carrots, sliced
1 cup chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, diced
1/2 a medium cabbage, chopped
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup dried mushrooms, or fresh, sliced
1 cup white wine
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

Saute carrots, celery, onion, sweet potato, and cabbage in oil for 10 minutes. If using fresh mushrooms, sauteed them with the other vegetables.
Add dried mushrooms, wine, water, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, until sweet potatoes and carrots are tender. Remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. 
Serve over rice or noodles, or alone. 

Drunken Veggie Stew with Roasted Asparagus

Drunken Veggie Stew
This is a vegan take on a Drunken Beef Stew. Dark beer is usually used as the base, but I had Ginger Hard Cider in the fridge, so that's what I'm using. A few lentils would serve to bulk up this stew and increase the protein. I don't have any :( so my stew is lentil-less. 
The vinegar and mustard give this stew a sweet and tangy flavor that is unique and inviting. 

2 onions, sliced
1 large sweet potato, diced
3 carrots, sliced
1 cup celery, diced
1/4 medium cabbage, diced
2 TBS oil, butter, or ghee

1 bottle hard cider, or dark beer
1 TBS fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 TBS red wine vinegar
1/2 cup dried mushrooms

Saute veggies in butter until slightly softened. Sauteing the veggies speeds the cooking process and caramelizes the sweet veggies, bringing out their sweet flavor.

Add cider, thyme, mustard, vinegar, mushrooms, and water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes and carrots are soft. 

Serve over rice, egg noodles, or alone. 

Apple Pie Smoothie
So yummy, I enjoyed it for dessert.

2 TBS unsweetened applesauce
2 TBS coconut cream
1 TBS cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
ice 
Almond milk

Combine all ingredients in blender. Add almond milk to cover. Blend till smooth.