SPICY SPUR-OF-THE-MOMENT MELANGE OF BLACK BEANS, ROASTED VEGETABLES & SEITAN (OR ALTERNATIVE)

Yesterday, I didn't get around to thinking about what to make for dinner until late afternoon. Rummaging through the fridge for ideas, I saw the black beans that I had cooked the day before, and decided to make a bean stew of some sort, to go with the cooked rice I had in the freezer, and the kale I had picked out of the garden.

Finding some red and green bell peppers, a sweet potato, and some unique new seitan that I made a few days before (see the note about where to find the recipe in the ingredient list of the recipe below) gave me the idea for a spicy black bean and roasted vegetable stew, which resulted in this recipe.

It was a hit-- my husband declared it his favorite bean stew to date! And what's not to like?  Spicy, hearty, full of vegetables and protein and good flavors.  I hope you'll give it a try.

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BRYANNA'S SPICY SPUR-OF-THE-MOMENT MELANGE OF BLACK BEANS, ROASTED VEGETABLES AND SEITAN (OR ALTERNATIVE)
Serves 6 to 8

Roasted or Broiled Vegetable/Seitan Mixture:
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into approximately 3/4” chunks
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and cut into approximately 3/4” chunks
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4” chunks
2-3 cups of seitan strips (Or, alternatively, you could use reconstituted Soy Curls™️, smoked tempeh or smoked tofu instead.)
(For the seitan, I used the “Pulled Phauxrk” [pronounced like “fork”] recipe from https://avocadosandales.com/2018/02/06/pulled-phauxrk/, which is amazing!)
about 2 tablespoons of dark sesame oil
smoked sweet or hot paprika
salt to taste
Rest of the Melange:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 cups cooked or canned black beans (use 2/ 19 oz. cans), rinsed and drained
2 cups vegan broth
14 oz. whole or diced canned tomatoes and juice (If tomatoes are whole, chop them roughly.)
2 tsp. EACH dried thyme and oregano
1 bay leaf
1 chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, with the a little of the sauce
(Idea: Freeze the rest of the chiles and sauce in the can in an ice cube tray, then pop the frozen chiles and sauce into a freezer container or bag to use in other dishes.) 
liquid smoke to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
Serve with:
steamed rice
braised greens with garlic

Making the Roasted or Broiled Vegetable/Seitan Mixture:
Place the pepper chunks, sweet potato chunks and seitan in a 9 x 13” baking pan and toss with the sesame oil, smoked paprika and salt to taste.  

Now, there are two ways to cook the veggie/seitan mixture (well, three ways actually-- you could grill it, but I'll leave that up to you!)-- roasting or broiling. If you want to roast, place the pan in a preheated 450°F oven and roast for about 15-20 minutes, tossing once or twice, or until the vegetables are tender but not falling apart, and a bit browned. If you want to broil (my choice), add a few squirts of water from a squeeze bottle to the pan and place the pan  about 4 inches under your broiler coils; turn broiler on to High.  Broil until the mixture until the vegetables are tender but not falling apart (adding a few more squirts of water if they are getting too dry), and a bit browned, and the seitan is a bit charred (but not too much!).  Remove from the oven and set aside.

To make the Rest of the Melange:
Saute the chopped onions and garlic in the olive oil in your wok or stew pot or large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until softened and perhaps a bit browned. Another option, which will allow you to proceed with the next part of the recipe, is to cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a covered microwave-safe pie pan or casserole with a lid. Cook on High for about 5 minutes, then scrape into your pot or pan.

Add the beans, broth, tomatoes, the Roasted or Broiled Vegetable/Seitan Mixture, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, chopped chipotle chile with its sauce, and the liquid smoke.  Mix thoroughly but gently with a large spoon. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes.  (That's enough time to cook some rice, if you haven't done it already.) 

Taste for salt and serve with the rice and braised greens.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 319 calories, 70 calories from fat, 8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 468.2mg sodium, 847.1mg potassium, 45.1g carbohydrates, 13.2g fiber, 7.5g sugar, 20.5g protein, 9.2 points.

Enjoy!