Hearty Autumn Stew

From Red Fire Chef Kristen Schafenacker, 2007

I found a this recipe on a macrobiotic diet blog and it is so delicious and healthy. For those of you who love to cook with kombu, it is called for in this recipe. For those who are not interested, you may omit it. However, I recommend using broth instead of water as the kombu adds that flavor. Below is a version adapted for a Red Fire CSA.

4 cups water 
1 large carrot
1 cup daikon radish
1 onion
1 cup rutabaga, diced
1/2 cup parsley
2 cups butternut squash
1 strip kombu seaweed
1/2 package tempeh
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 heaping tablespoons kuzu, in 1/4 cup cool water (this is a thickening substitute for corn starch or cream bases, you may substitute the amount of ¼ cup with ½ cup yogurt or 2 T corn starch in ¼ cup water)
sea salt to taste

Peel the squash and cut the vegetables in friendly bite-sized shapes. Slice the tempeh in 1″ squares, & saute, covered, in an oiled skillet on medium-low heat, 10 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, boil the water, add seaweed, onion, daikon, squash, parsley, rutabaga, and carrot. Simmer 20 minutes, then add sauteed tempeh. Simmer 20-25 minutes more. Remove kombu, slice into small squares, and return it to the pot. Season to taste with sea salt.