Featured recipe from Marilu's table * Cassoulet

During the holidays, or any time family and friends gather for an extended time, it's good to have a couple of easy meals that everyone will love. It's a bonus if they don't resemble the Main Event meals, and if they are easy to keep on the back of the stove for whenever the gang gets hungry.

Here's a vegan cassoulet that cooks for a long time, but doesn't really require much effort. Serve it with a whole wheat baguette, sliced and toasted.

Cassoulet is a traditional slow-cooked stew, based on beans and sausage (vegan in our recipe), from the south of France.

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Cassoulet

from The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook by Dr. Neal Barnard and Robyn Webb

Blue * Serves 6 (doubles easily)

1-1/4 cups vegetable broth

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked beans)

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

kosher salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid

1 bay leaf

2 vegetarian sausage links, sliced

2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs, toasted

Heat 1/4 cup vegetable broth in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic, and saute for 5 minutes.

Add the remaining 1 cup broth, beans, thyme, salt, black pepper, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and add the vegetarian sausage. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Garnish each serving with parsley and bread crumbs.