3 Stews That Also Appeal To In Summer

It is true that spoon dishes make us think of winter, but the heat does not have to be an impediment to enjoying a good stew or vegetable stew made with love. In summer we usually want fresher dishes, but there are many stews that can be eaten warm or at room temperature and that are not at odds with the heat.

Actually, being able to have a warm or room-temperature dish is an advantage, since very cold foods can leave us feeling warmer due to the thermal contrast.

In fact, hot and spicy foods help us regulate body temperature much better than very cold or frozen foods.

3 summer stews suitable for your weekly seasonal menu

In summer salads are the order of the day, but stews and other spoon dishes are also good options, as well as soups, which can be eaten warm or at room temperature. Remember to check what are the seasonal foods in your area.

In today’s weekly downloadable menu, a healthy weekly menu featuring seasonal summer foods, you’ll find three summer spoon dishes that you’ll enjoy even when it’s hot. They are satisfying, nutritious dishes with the comforting effect of dishes made with care on the stove.

These are the three recipes that you will find below: a summer stew, a tofu curry and a stewed seitan.

• You can download this week’s healthy vegan menu here.

In the menu, in addition to these summer stews, you will find refreshing proposals such as salads or gazpachos, along with other dishes with lighter cooking, such as sautéed and steamed dishes.

Remember that warm infusions are also a good option to regulate body temperature and that, if you eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, you will have extra hydration.

1. Summer stew

Ingredients for 2-3 servings:

• 300 g dried chickpeas
• 1 stalk of celery
• 2 carrots
• 1 large potato
• 1 tomato
• 1 green bell pepper
• 50 g green beans
• 200 ml of vegetable broth
• Water
• salt and pepper

preparation:

1. We soak the chickpeas for at least 12 hours and, after the time, we remove the water from the soaking.
2. We wash the carrots and celery. And we peel the potatoes and the carrot, leaving them whole.
3. In a tall pot, we put all these ingredients, cover with water and cook over low heat for an hour until the chickpeas are done. In a pressure cooker it can be done much faster, about 20 minutes, counting that first you have to get the water to boil with the potatoes and chickpeas.
4. During this time, we will prepare and cook the rest of the vegetables. We poach the tomato, in boiling water, to be able to peel it and cut it into 4. We wash the pepper and green beans, remove stems and cut into small or medium pieces.
5. In a saucepan, we cook the pepper and the beans in the vegetable broth with salt and pepper to taste and the necessary water.
6. We chop the potatoes, celery and carrots, and add them all to the pot of chickpeas along with the contents of the saucepan.
7. Cook for 5 minutes and let it cool down, to serve it warm or at room temperature.

2. Curried tofu with spinach

An easy and quick dish to make that you will be able to complement with noodles, brown rice, potato or the grain cereal that you like the most. You can swap the spinach for chard and other leafy greens, including different types of lettuce.

Ingredients for two servings:

• 400 g firm tofu
• 200 g of spinach
• 100 ml of coconut milk with its cream
• 3 shallots or 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 100 ml of vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons ground curry
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon spicy curry paste (optional)

preparation:

1. Press the firm tofu to remove excess liquid. You can do this by wrapping it in a clean cotton cloth and putting weight on it. Then we cut the tofu into medium cubes, which fit in our mouths without difficulty.
2. We peel the shallots and cut them into julienne strips. We also peel and chop the garlic.
3. Brown the tofu in a deep frying pan with the sesame oil.
4. Add the garlic and onion until lightly browned.
5. Add the coconut milk with cream, the soy sauce and the vegetable broth, in which we will have dissolved the curry paste and the curry powder. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the spinach cut in julienne, very clean and without thick stems, and cook for a few more minutes.
7. Let it cool down and serve warm with steamed brown rice.

3. Stewed seitan

This recipe is usually made with potatoes, like the one in the summer stew, but it doesn’t always have to be this way. We can make the stewed seitan and freeze it in portions, and add the boiled or steamed potato when we go to serve, warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 grams of homemade seitan
• 2 carrots
• 1 zucchini
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 glass of white wine
• 1 teaspoon of paprika from la vera
• 1 liter of mild vegetable broth
• 4 tablespoons of virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

preparation:

1. We blanch the tomatoes in boiling water to be able to peel them well, and cut them into quarters.
2. We peel the onion and cut it into julienne. We wash the zucchini and carrots, peel them if necessary and cut everything into julienne strips. We also wash the red pepper, remove the stem and the seeds and cut it into small cubes.
3. In a pot, brown the seitan with 2 of the tablespoons of oil. We booked.
4. In the same pot, with another tablespoon of oil, lightly brown the onion.
5. Add the rest of the vegetables, including the tomato, and stir, letting the sauce cook over low heat.
6. Then we add the seitan. Season, stir and add the vegetable broth and bay leaves.
7. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat, cooking for about 15 minutes without a lid over medium heat.
8. Remove from the heat, remove the laurel leaves and let it cool down with the lid on. We serve warm.

We can keep this stewed seitan in the fridge once it has been tempered and heat it in the same pot so that it is not cold together before serving.