Homey Vegetable Stew with Spelt Dumplings

Well yesterday was blustery, today is downright rainy!  I woke up thinking of my favorite "Homey Vegetable Stew with Spelt Dumplings" from the 30 Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray.  You can find this recipe book on Amazon, I highly recommend it. It's a go-to book that's easy to follow, not a lot of hard to find ingredients, and most importantly I have served many a carnivorous house guest with recipes from this book. Unfortunately I'm lacking all the ingredients but it would have been perfect for a rainy day so I'll give you the recipe and you can make it and I'll come over... Okay chances are I won't come over because it's downright rainy today and the rain is exactly what is preventing me from heading to the store to make this delicious and nutritious meal!

There are lots of variations for this stew, you can add herbs to the dumplings, change up the veggies with the seasons, or add some greens!

Homey Vegetable Stew

2 TBS olive oil
3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 medium sized potatoes, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
3 cups water or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 TSP dried thyme
1/4 TSP celery seeds
3 TBS soy sauce
3/4 TSP black pepper
1/2 TSP sea salt
1/4 cup + 2 TBS spelt flour

Dumplings

3/4 cup spelt flour
1 TSP baking powder, sifted
1/4 TSP sea salt
1/3 cup plain soy milk or rice milk (I used almond milk)
1 TBS safflower oil or melted coconut oil (I've used olive oil and it's turned out fine)

1. Using a large sauté pot, sauté the olive oil, garlic and onion for 2 minutes over medium heat. Chop the vegetables in the order they are listed and add them as you go to save time, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if necessary to keep the potatoes from sticking to the pan.
2. When all of the vegetables are in, add 2 1/2 cups of the water and cover. Add the bay leaf, thyme, celery seed, soy sauce, black pepper and salt, and cover again. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup of water with the spelt flour. Add to the pan, cover, and allow it to simmer over medium-low heat while preparing the dumpling batter.
3. In a medium sized bowl, mix the spelt flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the soy milk and safflower oil, and stir. This is a wet, lumpy mixture; do not over mix. Divide into six dumplings.
4. Give the stew a stir and plop the dumplings on top of the stew. Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how moist (or dry) you like your dumplings.