Hungarian "Hunter" Stew

This is based on a recipe from Taste of Home. I think it's delicious straight from the slow cooker but there's an added step if you have the time to do it. I thought it tasted great either way. Big hit with the kids too! You can add two red or green capsicum peppers too along with the tomatoes if wanted, no one in my family likes them except me so I omitted them. I've also just dumped everything from the first part of the recipe in the slow cooker (I did brown the sausages on the stove) and it still turned out great.

 With the optional step;

Straight from slow cooker with a dash of vegan sour cream; 

Hungarian "Hunter" Stew

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium onions, chopped
1 pound extra firm tofu (cubed) or faux meat (I used Beyond Meat Sausages and it amazing)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1-1/2 cups water
3 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 garlic clove, minced
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

Optional for after the slow cooker;
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup vegan sour cream


Method
Place potatoes and onions in a 3-qt. slow cooker.
In a large skillet, brown tofu or vegan meat in oil on all sides.
Baking the tofu would give it a nice firmness and add to potato mixture.
Pour off excess fat from skillet.
Add water to the drippings, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan; heat through.
Stir in the paprika, salt, caraway seeds, tomato paste and garlic and pour into the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Add tomatoes; cover and cook 1 hour longer or until meat and vegetables are tender.
With a slotted spoon, transfer meat and vegetables to a large serving bowl; cover and keep warm.

Optional step;
Pour cooking juices into a small saucepan.
Combine flour and cold water until smooth; gradually whisk into the pan.
Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Remove from the heat; whisk in sour cream. Stir into meat mixture.