In fact it's the porous nature of wood that makes it ideal for preparing meat. There was a test done a while ago, which showed the bacteria are drawn into the wood and no longer replicate; in fact they die relatively quickly.
Personally, I can't stand plastic boards, they're hell on good knives and although they're non-porous, they do stain. It always makes me feel like reaching for the bleach to remove what might be left...
Besides, have you ever seen butcher's block made out of plastic? Get a good quality hickory or maple board and you're set.
Your primary defenses against cross-contamination include proper planning in the order of what you're cutting and proper cleaning between uses. In the case of your stew, simply cut the vegetables first and then cut your meat. Doing so in this order you won't need to wash the board between the vegetables and meat. If you want to expedite the cooking process, then either use a separate board for the meat first so that you can start browning it while cutting the vegetables, or simply wash and re-use the board. A good scrubbing with hot soapy water is fine for your knife and board (including wood boards).
As mentioned previously, if you're still concerned about bacteria you can rub the board with lemon juice or vinegar which will kill any residual bacteria.
Using separate boards that are relegated to specific meat vs. vegetable duty isn't necessary as long as you're properly cleaning your boards. A board only used for meat items is just as liable to transfer bacteria to the next item being cut on it if it isn't properly washed between uses. That being said, if you're properly cleaning them then it's fine to cut vegetables on a board that's also been used previously for meat.
As for cutting boards, your best bet for the care and maintenance for your knives are either wood or composite materials (usually a laminated product of paper and resin - "Epicurean" being a prominent brand.
Never use a tempered glass cutting board or other hard surface (granite, marble, Corian, etc.) as these are heavily damaging to the edge of your blade and unsafe for you as there is nothing for the knife to bite and grip into and it's much more likely to slip and cut you.
Plastic cutting boards and mats aren't very good on your knives and the boards in particular are either too hard and dull your blade prematurely or are soft and end up with lots of cuts and grooves which then trap food. People often have a false sense of security with plastic boards believing them to be "non-porous". As the board is used, food material ends up crammed into the cuts and grooves and while the boards can go into the dishwasher, that only removes the surface grime, not that which is impacted and over time you increase the potential for bacterial growth to occur.
Wood boards (including bamboo) are much better on your knives but to maintain them in good condition you need to properly maintain them. Periodically, when they look dry (kind of like chapped skin) you need to oil them with mineral oil. The mineral oil you buy at your local drugstore or grocery store pharmacy is fine, no need to buy fancy "block oil" in gourmet shops. Don't use vegetable based oils as they will go rancid and transfer the flavor to your food. I like to give the cutting board a heavy coating at night, let it soak in overnight, and then buff off anything that didn't soak in. This will keep your wood fibers soft and supple so that the board won't split and crack, the fibers will swell back together making it more "self-healing" as you cut on it, and the oil in the wood will repel liquids that would otherwise try to soak in. When a wooden board gets marred and nicked up you just need to take it to the garage and give it a good sanding before dusting off, rinsing and re-oiling.
Don't use bleach on boards (plastic or otherwise) as it will typically leave a distinct smell in the board.
Best Answer
I often use the method described in mech's answer - using food-grade gloves when handling raw meat. Both at work and at home.
A secondary option that I often employ is the overall cleanability of taps. Just grab those taps with your raw meat hands with impunity. Give your hands a quick rinse then lather them up with extra soap and scrub. Then scrub the taps. Then rinse everything again.
There are also taps that can be manipulated with elbows and I have heard of heat sensitive taps that respond to touch as well.
Just remember the raw meat can't hurt you if you just clean up afterwards.That might include the taps you used when cleaning up.