Vegetable & Bean Stew

(Note: If you prefer to work from a "list" format for a recipe, click here. The following will be a play-by-play of tonight's preparation of this particular stew, so the ingredients are going to vary slightly.)

Just under two years ago, I was diagnosed with high cholesterol. Seeing as I am only in my mid-twenties, this was a little bit of a problem. I've been working with my doctor on changing my diet and we are seeing results, but more than anything the knowledge of my high cholesterol also awakened in me a need to be more conscious about some of the things I put into my body.

Among the good foods to eat when one has high cholesterol is the bean. After all, the saying goes, "Beans, beans, they're good for your heart...." It's true! :)
Actually, beans are high in fiber and protein, and low in fat. They also are cholesterol-free. Beans contain complex carbohydrates which provides adequate fuel to your body. (For more nutrition information on beans, go here.) Another great thing about beans is they are relatively inexpensive. One can generally costs less than a dollar, or you can buy a bag of dry beans (soak overnight to prepare them) for anywhere between one and two dollars.

I bought four cans of Publix brand beans for my stew.

To start off making this delicious stew (and be sure to either have hordes to feed, or space in the fridge/freezer, as this makes quite a bit of food) begin by dicing up an onion. You will also need four cloves of garlic, chopped up. I keep a jar of chopped garlic in the fridge, and just use a few spoonfuls of this.

Heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat, then add your onions & garlic.

Cook the onions and garlic for about five minutes, stirring often enough that they don't scorch at all. Then comes time to add the vegetables.

Here are all the vegetables I added to my skillet.

You can use any vegetables, really. I like to get a good mix of colors. I also like to buy locally from my farmer's market, where I can find fresh vegetables to use. Pictured here are carrots, asparagus (although it was a bit pithy, the stalks were thinner than the last time I made this stew and it didn't turn out as well; lesson learned) along with corn and tomato. You might also add potatoes, broccoli, celery, peas, or anything you like.

I begin cooking the vegetables by putting in the toughest ones first. So the carrots were first to be added to the skillet, followed by the asparagus, then the corn, and finally the tomato. You'll want to cook the vegetables until they are fairly tender.

Time to prepare the stock!

Ideally you can use 3-5 cups of water for the stock, and the vegetables will produce enough flavoring of their own. I've done that in the past and the taste is great. In tonight's case, however, I only had one lone tomato left in the fridge, but I also had half a carton of Trader Joe's organic creamy tomato soup. I put this, along with three cups of water, into my stock pot, and began heating it up on medium-high heat.

Add to your stock: one tablespoon of rice vinegar, one tablespoon of honey, one tablespoon of Dijon or spicy brown mustard, and season with some thyme, parsley, salt and pepper.

Now, add the vegetables and the beans.

One thing I always do with beans when using them is rinse them. This is really a personal choice; in this case, since the beans are being used for stew, it wouldn't hurt anything to not rinse them. Rinsing canned goods is just a general habit of mine, especially since some can liners may contain trace amounts of BPA.

Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat.

Almost done! Once the pot comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low/medium-low to get a good simmer. Cover the pot and let this simmer for at least an hour.

Lookin' good!

I like to wait until the stock thickens a little bit, then it is perfect for serving. You can serve the stew alone with some whole grain bread, or over brown rice or whole grain pasta. Tonight's dinner was served over Trader Joe's organic whole durum wheat flour pasta spirals.

You can sprinkle a little bit of parmesan cheese on top for added flavor.

This is a very simple recipe, and very easy to adapt to your own personal preferences for vegetables and flavors. If you don't like something, simply omit it or swap it out for something you do like. Just a little bit of this stew keeps you going all afternoon - as my husband, who works outdoor utilities, can tell you.

Enjoy!!