Tomato Vegetable Stew with Cheddar Dumplings

Here's another recipe I cut from the newspaper. This is so good!  My husband says he doesn't like tomatoes, so he's not super excited when I make this, but he will eat it without complaining too much, especially if I serve him some kind of meat on the side.  Me, I love it.  I think the flavors are so perfect together.

Tomato Vegetable Stew with Cheddar Dumplings

Stew:

• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
• 2 cups frozen green beans
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 tsp. pepper or hot sauce to taste

Dumplings:

• 1-1/2 cup flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2/3 cup milk

Directions:

1. In Dutch oven with lid, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and celery.  Cook and stir until celery is tender.  Add remaining stew ingredients: diced tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, green beans, basil and hot sauce.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until beans are tender.  Taste and adjust seasoning; add salt if canned tomatoes and broth were not salty.
2. For dumplings, put flour, baking powder, salt and dry mustard in medium mixing bowl and stir well.  Using pastry blender, two table knives, or fork, cut shortening into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in shredded cheddar.  Add milk and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
3. Drop by tablespoonfuls over the simmering stew.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat 10 to 15 minutes or until dumplings are firm. 

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

I get a lot of recipes from the newspaper and from magazines. If a recipe looks good, I clip it. Unfortunately, I have yet to find the perfect way to organize them so that I can find them later and actually try them. If only my clippings could at least be in a regular consistent size, like notebook paper size or even postcards, then I could sort and store them in a binder or a box or something. And if only two recipes I want didn't always seem to be printed on opposite sides of the same page!  I'm really going to have to buckle down and post more of the recipes I really like or really want to try - or figure out if I can find them on the magazine or newspaper websites and save them from there, instead of trying to keep track of so many newspaper clippings!

I like the idea of posting the recipes, because then I'm sharing, too - but it just takes time.  Anyway, try this.  It's yummy!

Corn Lover's Veg Stew

Corn Lovers Veg Stew

Ingredients: 2-1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups cubed, peeled butternut squash 15-oz can diced peeled tomatoes 1-1/4 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels or 15-1/4 oz can whole kernel corn, drained

1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch squares

Directions:
In Dutch oven or large saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of broth to a boil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add squash, tomatoes, corn, thyme, salt, pepper and remaining 2 cups broth; stir to blend. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add kidney beans and green pepper and return to a simmer. Cover and simmer until squash and bell pepper are tender, about an hour or so. (The original recipe said cook 10 minutes, until squash and bell pepper are tender but not mushy.  However, I like my squash mushy, so I cook it longer.)  Serve warm. 

Source: Vegetarian Times

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I usually eat this one by myself, but that's OK because I love it. It's best if you cook it one day and reheat the next - and it gets better every time you reheat.

I recently found a recipe for Butternut Chicken Stew over at Simple Daily Recipes, and everyone loved that one. Though they're not exactly the same, they are similar. Maybe next time I make this, they'll give it a try.

Update: The recipe for Butternut Chicken Stew has been published in this cookbook - Simple Daily Recipes Reader's Favorite Dinners - along with a lot of other yummy recipes.