Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 yellow onions, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 8 oz. mushrooms (baby bella or button), quartered
• 1 yam, peeled and cut into pieces
• 1 package of Beyond Beef or other vegetarian meat subsitute
• 1/2 cup of mixed dried beans (Mona uses a special Cholent mix, which contains kidney, navy, and white beans)
• 1/3 cup barley
• 1 “squish” each of barbecue sauce, ketchup, and honey — approximately 1-2 tablespoons each
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry
• Approximately 3-6 cups of vegetable broth (enough to generously cover the ingredients)

Instructions

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions until they begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
3. Add the mushrooms to the pan and continue cooking for about 3 more minutes, until the mushrooms begin to soften.
4. Transfer the contents of the pan to the insert of a slow cooker. Put the skillet back on the heat, add another tablespoon of olive oil, and add the meat substitute to the pan. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the meat substitute to the contents of the slow cooker and mix in the remaining ingredients, using enough broth to cover the contents by an inch or two.
6. Cook on low for about 8-10 hours, until the beans and barley are very tender. If you’re cooking for Shabbat, Mona recommends using a slow cooker with a timer feature. She plugs hers in on Friday before the observance of Shabbat begins, and the family eat the cholent for Saturday lunch.