Bell pepper stew

This is the time of year when bell peppers are very expensive.

But don't worry.

If you buy just one piece of red bell pepper , it's only about €1.

Ingredients for 2 servings

300 g potatoes

1 bell pepper

1 small onion

175 g (1 piece) smoked tofu(rewe bio)

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp tomato paste

10ml maple syrup

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp brewer's yeast (d.m.’s Bier Hefe)

2 tbsp sweet paprika powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Half a teaspoon cumin powder

A pinch of salt and black pepper

500 ml vegetable stock (or 500ml water + 1 tbsp vegan broth powder)

Soya yoghurt (topping)

Chopped parsley (topping)

First cut the vegetables and tofu.

Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a frying pan or a pot.

Add the potatoes and onions and fry them over medium heat. (5 min)

When they look slightly transparent, add the cayenne pepper, cumin powder and bay leaf.Don’t add too much cumin power otherwise it will be a curry than a stew.

Then add the vegetable broth and start cooking over medium heat.

In a separate frying pan, warm the rest of the olive oil.

Slowly sauté them for 10 minutes and they would look wonderful like this.

At this point, add the tomato paste and fry until it is fragrant.

If tomato paste is not available, tomato ketchup can be substituted.

If that is the case, omit the maple syrup because it’s already sweet enough.

Add paprika powder, brewer's yeast and chia seeds to the pot.

The reason for adding chia seeds is that they can add omega-3s and

to add viscosity to the soup.

It's healthier than adding cornstarch.

Check that the potatoes are soft enough.

Finally, add sautéed bell peppers and tofu into the pot.

Add salt and black pepper to taste, I also added just a bit of maple syrup at the end.

It’s done!

But I got some soy yoghurt and frozen parsley today so why not adding them too?

The stew is then served with fruits and walnut bread. Yum!