Vegetarian " Beef" Stew

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 250 g vegetarian beef strips (2 pkgs of yves or equivalent of another brand)
• 3 vegetarian beef stock cube
• 1 1/2 cups potatoes (cubed, peel if desired)
• 1 cup carrot (chopped)
• 1 cup celery (chopped)
• 1 cup fresh tomato (coarsely chopped)
• 1 cup dried shiitake mushroom (obviously you can't measure dried ones accurately, filled to 2 cups on my measuring cup)
• 1 1/2 cups zucchini (chopped)
• 1 cup onion (chopped)
• 3/4 cup green bell pepper
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 tablespoon dill
• salt and pepper

Recipe

• 1 either soak shiitakes overnight or boil until soft, add a little red wine for flavour if desired.
• 2 reserve soaking liquid but cut shiitakes up into manageable pieces and return to liquid in large pot, add water to equal 6 cups liquid and bring to a boil.
• 3 crumble in stock cubes and add spices.
• 4 add all veggies and simmer until everything is soft.
• 5 add veggie "beef" strips, cut into smaller pieces if desired, cook for another 5-10 min to let flavours blend.
• 6 serve with fresh bread, red wine, and a simple salad.