Bilbo's Underground Stew

[pegkerr]

I went for lunch yesterday at St. Martin's Table, a local church-run vegetarian restaurant which donates all tips to charities, and had a delicious bowl of Bilbo's Underground Stew. It was so good I asked to get the recipe and they gave it to me: enough to serve 60 people! However I was lucky enough to find the recipe for Bilbo's Underground Stew online here! And you can set it for as many or as few servings as you would like.

I thought it would be fun to post for the LOTR fans on my list as well as those working on getting a healthier lifestyle, because it seemed such a hobbity recipe, as well as a delicious way to make sure you eat your vegetables. (Only problem: can anyone suggest a good substitution for the sour cream? Light sour cream, or. . .?)

(See my earlier post linking to the recipe for Bag End Seed Cake).

Edited to add: songbirds suggests 1 cup of cottage cheese blended with 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice for the sour cream substitute (see http://recipestoday.com/resources/articles/subchart.htm). Several others have suggested a cup of yogurt.

Comments

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

Yogurt

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Yogurt.

K. [Me Too with the yogurt]

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

I third the yogurt.

Especially a good brand of whole-milk yogurt, such as Brown Cow or Mountain High.

I use it in borscht, and like it better than sour cream, frankly.

[daedala.livejournal.com]

Whole milk Brown Cow yogurt is the crack cocaine of yogurt. It's incredibly good.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Mountain High is actually a little denser/creamier/more tart. The Brown Cow, though, has a more complex flavor. It's a tossup for me.

But yeah, both awfully good. In a convert-people-who-don't-like-yogurt-because-they've-only-had-the-Dannon-crap kind of way good.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

If you were going to use whole milk yogurt, is there any caloric benefit to that over full-fat sour cream?

[daedala.livejournal.com]

None; it's just very good.

[aome.livejournal.com]

Depends a bit on what you're cooking, and your taste. There are times when I find plain yogurt works fine, and other times when it tastes like ... plain yogurt, and not as good a substitute. I usually switch back and forth between that and low/nonfat sour cream, depending on what I'm doing.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

We use non-fat sour cream for all of our sour-creamy needs, which usually just involves chili or tacos.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

*g* But it's naaaaaasty. I mean, I'd rather go without! Yogurt at least tastes creamy and tangy. Nonfat sour cream is... actively unpleasant.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I've gotten to the point where I don't really notice it any more. Even fat-free yogurt tastes better? It's the fat and calories of it that bother me (well, duh, probably that's what bothers everyone)

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

I think *good* fat free yogurt tastes better. Although I've switched back to whole milk yogurt recently. (It's 150 calories a cup as opposed to 100, and frankly, it leaves me feeling less hungry--and apparently women who consume whole milk products actually have an easier time losing weight than those who only consume skim milk, so since I don't have a cholesterol problem, I figured it was worth a try. Doesn't seem to be hurting my less-of-me program any, anyway: twelve pounds off in about a month and a half, and I'm not doing any kind of crazed low-carb thing.)

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

No, neither am I. I'm on Weight Watchers with a side project of 'Not Getting Osteoporosis'. I put yogurt into smoothies with frozen berries, cocoa powder, bananas and milk, and that's usually my breakfast. Maybe I'll try a whole milk yogurt from the store soon! The difference in fat between 4-6oz every morning can't be that fantastic.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

the smoothie sounds fantastic. *g*

*drools*

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

They are quite good, and usually keep me from eating everything in my desk drawer by lunchtime.

[cheshyre]

Ooh, that sounds yummy.

[scott-lynch.livejournal.com]

That place is a vegetarian restaurant? Dammit! I lived once block away from there for nearly a year, and never checked.

[pameladean]

I'm definitely going to make this as soon as I'm done with my stupid writing project, but since my goal is to avoid dairy rather than to cut down on fat, I'm going to use coconut milk, and add lemon juice if it seems too sweet.

P.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

If the goal is to avoid dairy I've had good results making a thickening rue with some variety of vegetable oil and flour.

[volkhvoi.livejournal.com]

One of my recipe books (Great Good Food) suggests blending 1 cup of plain non-fat yogurt and 1 cup low fat cottage cheese.

[chernobylred.livejournal.com]

I agree with the people suggesting yogurt, but I would say: Try yogurt cheese. It's a little zippier, and has a consistency more similar to sour cream. You can make the stuff by putting some low fat (or whole milk if you can find it) yogurt in a cheesecloth, in a strainer, over a big bowl. Let it sit in your fridge for a day or so and you get this lovely creamy spread that's suitable for flavoring (I use a packet of splenda and some vanilla) or in casseroles, etc. You can also buy a Yogurt Cheese maker for about $10. I know they sell them in the amazon.com cooking section.

You can use the fat-free yogurt, but it's not as tasty.

[folk.livejournal.com]

Hmm, can you find crème fraiche in a whole-foods-y type place?