Name: Moosewood's Tilghman Island Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 cups chopped onions; 2 cloves garlic ((minced)); 1 cup sliced celery; 2 teaspoons dried thyme; 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice; 4 cups peeled & cubed sweet potatoes; 6 cups water ((or vegetable stock)); 2 cubes vegetable bouillon ((if not using stock)); 4 bay leaves; 2 cups frozen corn kernels; 1 cup chopped red bell peppers ((or green pepper)); 2 cups stemmed and halved green beans; 4 cups stemmed and chopped kale; 2 zucchini ((sliced in rounds and then quartered)); 1 tablespoon light soy sauce; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 3 scallions ((sliced, white and tender green parts only)); 1/4 cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese ((optional; of course, cheese is not vegan))

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Moosewood's Tilghman Island Stew, a vegan recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant folks, re-creates the flavor of a good fish stew without including fish. (Hint: It's the Old Bay Seasoning.)

Tilghman Island Stew, fish stew WITHOUT the fish. Yum.

Tilghman Island Stew really hits the spot.

Moosewood's Tilghman Island Stew is a vegan and gluten free meal that comes from one of the Moosewood Collective's cookbooks. I can't remember which one, but like all Moosewood recipes, this one is terrific. It's a bit spicy, and full of good-for-you vegetables.

Although you can make it entirely on top of the stove, which is what I did, you can also put it in the crockpot slow cooker. To do that, you would sauté the onions, garlic, spices and celery, and then dump everything into the slow cooker and cook it on low for about two hours. I would hold the green beans, kale and zucchini until the last half hour to keep them bright and crisp, however. Also, wait to pour the lemon juice in until the very end. Lemon loses its flavor if you cook it very long.

The original recipe says it serves 4 to 6, but it filled my whole 6-quart crockpot, and it fed 6 people on Saturday night and about 20 (small portions) the next day. Everyone raved about it. This is a wonderful vegan stew. Tilghman Island Stew has everything you need for a meal, all in one pot. The Old Bay's seasoning makes it reminiscent of crab cakes without including any seafood.

What You Need

For this recipe, you need a knife, cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, and a soup pot (or possibly a slow cooker). Whatever you buy, get the best you can afford. And don't forget to buy some super soup bowls.