Random vegan meal ideas_Hearty Autumn Stew

Hello,
How have you been?
It's starting to get cold here so I haven't had smoothies for like 2 weeks. Having a rather ineffective immune system meaning I could catch a cold very easily. So, I've been having some kind of soup or warm pasta pretty much everyday.But I sincerely miss my mom's beef stew and it would be perfect for this weather. Since I can't have beef anymore I came up with a stew myself which I am proud to say I have perfected it and it tastes nothing like my mom's beef stew. But I promise you it is absolutely delicious. This takes quite some time to cook (because it a stew duh). I often make it before I do some task like studying or reading and let it simmer. By the time I'm finish my work, I have a delicious meal. Let me tell you it is amazing to have a delicious meal after finishing my work. No worries! Now you can have it too.


_________________
Ingredients:
1 small potato (any potato would do, I used russet), 2-3cm cubed
1/4 of a medium butternut squash, 2-3cm cubed. (This is about 2 cups but you can use sweet potato, pumpkin or just use all potato.)
1/2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 cup of sliced white mushroom (any mushroom would do)
1/2  an onion (I used red onion but any onion would do), chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic (depends on how you like it), minced
1 tbsp of Italian seasoning (mixed herbs)
2-3 bay leaves
1 tbsp of miso paste (trust me it works, if you don't have miso, just use soy sauce instead)
1 cup crushed tomato
1 cup veggie broth
1 cup -1.5 cup of water
Olive oil +salt+ pepper
__________________
Optional:
1/4 cup of soaked lentils. (I added lentils for some protein but if you don't want to, you don't have to but keep in mind that you will need less water. If your lentils aren't soaked, that's ok too but you might need more water. You can use other sources of plant based protein like red kidney beans or white beans, I wouldn't recommend tofu)
Vegan yogurt
Nutritional Yeast
____________________
1. In a hot pot with olive oil, saute your onion first and then add in your garlic to prevent burning.
2. Add in your Italian seasoning and saute it for a few minutes.
3. Add in the veggies and saute until soft.
4. Add in the crushed tomato, miso paste, water, lentils and bay leaves. Make sure you stir well so that the miso dissolves
5. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 40 min-1 hour partially cover with a lid. Make sure to keep the heat very low to prevent burning.
6. Taste and see if you need salt. Crack in some pepper and chili flakes if you want some heat.
You can serve it with bread, pasta or rice. I often top it with nutritional yeast or vegan yogurt for some extra deliciousness. You can also just eat it straight out from the pot. You do you but it is delicious on its own still.