Chicken-free Stew

I got the idea to make this stew from my late mother-in-law. She used to make Acadian chicken fricot for my husband and he enjoyed it very much. I never knew what the recipe was but I wanted to make something that was reminiscent of that. I looked up some fricot recipes online and the important ingredients were chicken, potatoes, carrots, broth and summer savory. To make it vegan, I used sauteed cubes of tofu to add a protein element to this warm, comforting stew. This picture shows what the stew looks like right out of the pot. If I had waited a bit, I believe it would be thicker.

Chicken-free Stew

2 TB Earth Balance margarine
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp. vegemite
1 onion, chopped into large chunks
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. white miso paste
1-2 tsp. summer savory
salt and pepper to taste
1 TB cornstarch mixed with a little bit of water to dissolve
7 oz. firm tofu, cubed

Melt margarine and vegemite in a soup pot and saute mushrooms until they give off liquid and are cooked. Add onions, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, garlic, vegetable broth, miso paste, summer savory, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and add cornstarch/water mixture. Lower heat and simmer until vegetables are tender and soup has thickened. Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a pan and saute cubes of tofu until browned. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them while they saute. Drain tofu cubes on paper towel and add them to stew.