Vegetable Stew with Dumplings

This is a family favorite and sadly I have no picture for it. We are always too excited to eat it and then it's gone before we know it. In the past I've always made it using canned chicken but I turned it vegetarian by adding more vegetables and nixing the chicken. My husband said it was blog worthy. I adapted the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Chicken Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings recipe.

Ingredients:

Stew

• 18 oz of water
  
• 1 or 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks
  
• 5 oz frozen peas
• 5 oz frozen corn
• 1 cup chopped onion (can use dried onion if you want, check the ratios)
  
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill
• 1/8 tsp. dried basil
  
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup flour

Dumplings

• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tb. shortening or butter/margerine
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (if you don't have butter milk add 1/2 Tb. of lemon juice to your milk)
  

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl combine the dry dumpling ingredients. Cut in the shortening until you have course crumbs. Add the buttermilk, stirring until just moistened.

2. In a large saucepan combine the water, potatoes, frozen veggies, onions, herbs, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Bring to boiling. Boil for about 10 min.

3. Meanwhile in a small bowl combine the milk and flour. Mix into the saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Reduce the heat to a medium low and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the potato chunks are getting soft. Make sure to stir occasionally so the stew doesn't cook onto the bottom of the pan.

4. Add the dumpling dough from a tablespoon into 6-8 mounds onto the top of the stew. Simmer, covered (do not lift the cover), over low heat for about 10-12 minutes. Check dumplings using a wooden toothpick.

Notes about this recipe:

1. We have found that this recipe serves about 2 people, with a tiny bit of leftovers.
2. If you prefer more stew with your dumplings, then I would double the stew recipe but not the dumpling recipe.

Sweet Potato Chili with Cornmeal Dumplings

This recipe is adapted from the recipe Sweet Potato Chili Bake, found on my friend, Whitney's, blog. The original recipe is from the Taste of Home.

Ingredients:

Chili:

• 2 cups cubed peeled sweet potato
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 4-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cornmeal Dumplings (from Better Homes and Gardens):

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• dash of black pepper
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 Tbs milk
• 2 Tbs cooking oil

Directions:

• In a large stew pot, saute sweet potato and red pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the tomatoes, broth, beans, brown sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Meanwhile, prepare cornmeal dumpling batter. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, cheese, cornmeal, baking powder, and pepper. In a small bowl combine the egg, milk, and cooking oil; add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork just until combined.
• Drop cornmeal dumpling batter into simmering chili (about 6-8 dumplings). Cover for 10-12 minutes, and do not open until the time is up. Dumplings are done when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Serve with optional toppings, if desired.
  

If you want to do it the according to the original recipe, cook your chili in an oven-proof Dutch oven. Prepare 1 package (6-1/2 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix according to the package and stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional). Drop by tablespoons over chili. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 min. or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I like to cube my sweet potatoes pretty small, but that's just my preference.
2. I didn't have vegetable broth, so I opted for chicken broth this time. It turned out fine, but would be more veggie friendly with the vegetable broth.
3. I didn't plan ahead enough for my dried black beans to be used, so I used a can of red beans instead. Tasted great. I have a feeling you could use any kind of your favorite beans and it would still be yummy.
4. Whitney notes that she didn't have chili powder, so instead she used 1 1/2 tsp of ground red pepper. She said it was good but spicy.