1 medium onion, finely minced
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2-4 large potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into eighths
2 carrots, chopped
1 (8 ounce) basket sliced button mushrooms
3 portobello mushrooms, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 (8 ounce) can salt-free tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon thyme
5 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 (10 ounce) bag frozen peas
1. Line the bottom of slow cooker with the onions. Add the garlic on top of the onions, but be sure the layer of onions is thick enough for the garlic not to fall through and touch the cooker liner.
2. Add potatoes and carrots. Add the mushrooms to the top of the other vegetables. Add the bay leaves. At this point, mix the tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire, thyme, tapioca, and 1/2 the pepper in bowl. Stir well and pour over veggies.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. At the end of that time, stir cooker contents; add peas and the remaining black pepper. If you want to serve this right away, let the peas cook for 5-15 minutes.
4. Should you choose to store the stew instead of eating it right away, add the peas after you've poured the stew into a container. The frozen peas will help you cool down a little faster than if you added them during the cooking time.