Vegan Cassoulet

So, I was watching Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals the other day and got inspired to veganize something.  She was making a quick version of a French country dish called Cassoulet.  The traditional recipes usually include a lot of sausage, pork, duck, duck fat (sounds rich, right?), beans, some veggies and a bread crumb topping.  Her recipe, of course, was the 30 minute time saving version with chicken instead of duck and beans from the can.  I dug around on the Internet a bit and came up with a simple, vegan, one pot version that is fairly quick to throw together but has a very slow cooked taste.  This is ideal for transitional vegans who like to still experience "meat."  There are other recipes on the Internet that leave out meat analogues and countless traditional recipes for inspiration.  My family was quite pleased with this the first time I made it, so I think it's a keeper for us.

Vegan Cassoulet

• 1 package (1 lb) Tofurky Italian Sausage
• 2 cups TVP chunks, re hydrated with 1 cup Pinot Grigio and 1 cup No Chicken Broth
• 1 Large onion, diced
• 3-4 ribs celery diced
• 2-3 medium carrots, diced
• 1 full head of garlic, all cloves minced (this is where the big economy jar of minced garlic comes in handy!  Just use an equivalent amount.)
• 3 15 oz cans Great Northern White or Cannellini Beans (Italian white kidney beans) with liquid
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 No Chicken Bouillon Cube
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 4 bay leaves
• Black pepper to taste
• 4 slices bread for crumbs (the end slices of the loaf are best for crumbs)
• 1/2 cup dry parsley

The Tofurky sausage has some oil in it, so I do not add any other oil or fat to this and it works out great.  On medium heat, saute the sausage in a Dutch oven, then add onions and garlic (reserve about 3 cloves worth of garlic for topping), celery and carrots and continue to saute, stirring frequently enough to avoid sticking to the bottom.  Add the re hydrated TVP chunks along with any additional liquid which will help to deglaze the pan a bit as you stir.  Add beans and tomatoes, and nestle the bouillon cube down near the bottom of the pan.  Add seasonings and bay leaves, stir so all is uniformly combined, then cover and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes.  Process the bread into crumbs and add remaining garlic and dried parsley.  Most recipes would have you use some butter or olive oil in the crumb topping, and you could certainly add some melted Earth Balance vegan margarine if you want, but I found that the added fat was unnecessary.  Pour bread crumb topping on top and pop the Dutch oven (without lid) in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes until crumb topping is crunchy and golden.

Once the liquids reduce, flavors are concentrated and savory.

This is hearty peasant food without all of the animal cruelty and health risks!  Carnivores will swear it's full of meat (and it is, just not meat from animals!)  This will serve 8-10 people easily and is great with a nice spinach or kale salad served on the side.