VeganMoFo: Corn Stew with Soy Chorizo, Eggplant and Potato

More fun with soy chorizo! I got a recipe for 'Guiso de Maiz' from johnp over at the PPK forums and I really wanted to try it out. I didn't have several of the ingredients that were in his recipe so I improvised a bit to come up with this. The chorizo was a very important factor for flavoring and spicing up this stew. I didn't use a whole lot but the little I did use added the perfect amount of flavor and heat. The rest of the vegetables made this stew hearty and filling, ideal on a cool, rainy evening like last night. You can serve this with fresh bread or hot tortillas on the side slathered with Earth Balance margarine or you can do like me and put hot roasted garlic croutons on top. That was such a good idea and so tasty!

Corn Stew with Soy Chorizo, Eggplant and Potato

2 TB olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 soy chorizo tube (I used 1/2 to cut down on spicyness. You may use a full tube if desired.)
1 small japanese eggplant, cubed or 1 cup regular eggplant, cubed
1 medium baking potato, peeled and cubed
1 15 oz. can stewed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups frozen corn
1 tsp sugar
juice from 1/2 of a small lime
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Saute and let the onions and peppers get soft. Add the soy chorizo: cut one end off the casing and squeeze only half the tube of "meat" into the pot. Fry it for a few minutes and then add the eggplant. Cook for a few more minutes. Before using the stewed tomatoes, empty them into a bowl and break up the tomatoes with your fingers. Then add the tomatoes, potatoes and vegetable broth to the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add the frozen corn, sugar and lime juice. You may add a little water if stew is too thick. Bring back to a boil then turn heat down and simmer partially covered for another 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stew will thicken as it sits.