For my inaugural post, I want to thank my friend Lysa Goodman Poore for this intriguing dish. Lysa “got the recipe (in part) from a vegan website called What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway?” adding that she doesn’t “make it precisely the way they recommend, and I leave out the hickory-smoked tofu and the soyrizo. I love tofu, but the recipe doesn’t need it, it’s plenty good without it.”

I had never heard of a “Cassoulet,” so I looked it up: A white-bean stew of French origin, often containing pork, mutton, garlic sausage, and preserved goose or duck.

So this is a Vegetarian (Vegan, in fact) version of a traditional French Meat Stew.

I’m going to strictly prepare Lysa’s version, which is as follows:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Medium Onion, diced (white or yellow)
• 1 Tbs. of Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Herbes de Provence (Substitute Thyme, if necessary)
• 8 oz. T.V.P. (Textured Veg Protein) Lysa sez, “This is like vegan ground beef – you can also use ground beef but obviously that makes it much less healthy”).
• 15 oz. can of Cannelini Beans
• ½ cup Tomato Sauce
• Smoked Paprika, Salt and Pepper to taste (Lysa sez, “MUST stress that the Hungarian or Smoked Paprika is key – do NOT use regular Paprika. You can usually find the Smoked kind pretty easily in the spice aisle.”)

DIRECTIONS

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 1 tbs. olive oil and the diced onion. cook until translucent and just starting to show some color, 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and herbes de provence and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a plate.

Add 1 tbs. of olive oil and add the TVP (follow directions on the TVP to make it separately beforehand) and saute, scraping the pan occasionally until starting to show signs of carmelization, 4-6 minutes.

Add the onion and garlic back to the pan along with the cannellini beans (and their liquid), tomato sauce and smoked paprika (to taste). Stir to combine, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so it won’t stick to the bottom as it will get quite thick near the end of cooking. Check for seasoning as the beans will probably need some salt at this point.

I had to go out to get some of the ingredients before I could start (Herbes de Provence, Smoked Paprika and T.V.P.), since my kitchen is a bit anemic right now. I was unable to find the dry-goods T.V.P. at my local store, so I used Yves… If You Please! brand “Meatless Ground,” which is an acceptable substitute. If you are a carnivore, you might simply use Ground Beef.

PHOTO GALLERY

SUMMARY & REVIEW

I absolutely love this dish. While my “serving suggestion” (pictured, above right) is that of an appetizer — a small portion of Cassoulet served with Tostitos® “SCOOPS” chips, this is clearly a MAIN COURSE. I presented the finished dish to my paramour (Chelsea), who exclaimed, “You could make yummy tacos or nachos with this,” adding, “I really expected a spicy dish, but I like that it’s not actually spicy!”

I am most impressed with the versatility of the dish. It’s super-healthy, and if I can’t finish it, I know I could easily throw it in the fridge for several days.  My only “problem” (for lack of a better word) with the recipe is the ingredients… but that’s only because I am such a novice. I had to go to the store to get five of the seven ingredients: 1) Herbs de Provence; 2) Smoked Paprika; 3) T.V.P.;  4) Canellini Beans and; 5) Tomato Sauce.

I really shouldn’t punish this amazing recipe as a result of my anemic pantry, but that’s how it goes. I must say: Even if you have to go to the store to fulfill this food fantasy, you really should; Every ingredient in this recipe is something you will use over and over again. Furthermore, you won’t be disappointed.

Preparation was fast and easy. I spent just 9 minutes prepping the ingredients, and 18 minutes actually cooking (not including the requisite 10 minutes of simmering).

A REASON TO RATE!

Prep Time: 8.5
Simplicity: 9.5
Ingredients: 7.5
Taste: 9.5
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Average Score: 8.75

(1=Poor; 10=Excellent)