~Hearty Veggie Stew with Dumplings~

Serves 4
Ingredients:

1.  4-5 Tbs olive oil
2. 1 rutabaga
   
3. 4 shallots
4. 2 garlic cloves
5. 1 large carrot 
6. 1 large celery stick
7. 1 lb colored potatoes (red, yellow, blue, etc.)
8. 1 tsp caraway seeds
9. 1 1/2 tsp paprika
10. 1 tsp cumin
11. 1 tsp Italian seasonings
12. 1 tsp bay leave pieces or 1 whole bay leaf
13. Salt & Pepper
    
14. 1 can diced tomatoes
15. 3-4  cups vegetable broth

 Dumplings:

1. 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2. 2 tsp baking powder
3. 1/2 tsp salt
   
4. 1 Tbs dried or fresh chives, chopped
5. 1/2 cup Earth Balance
6. 5 Tbs vegetable broth
   
7. Pepper to taste

 Directions:

• Finely mince the garlic.  Chop celery, carrot, rutabaga, and potatoes into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces.
• Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
• Add all chopped vegetables and whole shallots to the heated oil.  Add seasonings. Cook for about 12-15 minutes. 
  
• Add canned tomatoes with liquid and vegetable broth.
• Bring to a boil and cover.  Let simmer for 25-30 minutes.  Add more salt, pepper or any additional seasonings if needed. Vegetables should be turning soft at this point.
• Prepare the dumplings by mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl with softened Earth Balance and vegetable broth.
• Roll into 8-10 dumplings and place onto a cutting board or plate.
• Once the vegetables are semi-soft, add the dumplings to the soup.  Make sure there is plenty of space for the dumplings to expand.  They should not be touching.
• Cover and let simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Serve with a fresh green salad or a kale salad.  I paired mine with a raw purple kale salad.  Check out this clip for the recipe:



Here is a run down of the ingredients:

1. Kale (I used purple curly kale) de-stemmed and finely chopped
2. Olive oil
3. Fresh squeezed lemon juice
4. Pine nuts 
5. Golden raisins
6. Hemp seeds (optional, I added them to my salad)
   
7. Salt & Pepper
   

You will want to make this salad a few hours before hand so that the kale can tenderize in the fridge.  The dressing of salt, oil and lemon juice help break down the tough fibers of the kale leaves.

~This is a meal that will really stick to your bones~