Two weeks ago I presented online how to make my famous no-packaging vegan stew with a group called Plant Powered Metro New York.

I apologize that Murphy’s Law struck hard. Everything that could go wrong did, but I couldn’t tell what in the moment so only on viewing it now did I hear how much the microphone distorted my voice. The lighting was off. After starting we found out they gave us the wrong url so we had to restart. Apparently they stitched together the part I did to no one.

Lots more problems not worth going into except to note that they filled me with anxiety that I couldn’t recover from because we were recording. I wish someone told me how awful the sound was so I could fix it.

Sorry about the sound and sloppiness from the technical problems

Still, the core of how to do it was there. The formula that works every time:

• Legumes (any bean, lentil, pea, etc)
• Green leafy vegetable (chard, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc)
• Starchy vegetable (beets, carrots, squash, parsnip, etc)
• Whole grain (wheat berries, barley, kamut, buckwheat, quinoa, etc)
• Nutritional yeast

Put them all in pressure cooker with the amount of water and for the amount of time to cook the legumes and it works every time. The amount of water and time depends on the pressure cooker, so read the manual and practice making just the legumes a few times if you’ve never used a pressure cooker before.

When the stew is done, top with

• Chopped onions
• Chopped nuts (almond, Brazil, cashew, peanut, hazel, etc) or seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, etc) or both
• Optional: any crunchy vegetable in season (peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, turnips, etc)

The vegetables taste great on their own, but you can add spices, herbs, and salt to taste. I tend to use

• Salt, pepper, turmeric, and cumin
• Any herb in season (basil, oregano, sage, rosemary, dill, etc)

Everything works! You can go to the farmers market, buy nearly any vegetable, and it will work in the stew. I use the stew to sample all the vegetables I can.

The combination of legume, green leafy vegetable, starchy vegetable, whole grain, and nutritional yeast is like wearing black or basic colors—that is, it always works—and the toppings or other vegetables are like accessories.

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