Beans Bourguignon

With all due respect to Julia Child, when I ran across this recipe in my new vegan recipe book, I just had to make it. I know it's not just like the recipe made famous by Child or the recent movie, "Julie and Julia," but it is on my diet, and the famous recipe is not.

I did make a couple of "adjustments" in the recipe and I am sure if you made the original recipe, it would be even better, but my version was good -- and as I said, it was on my diet. My recipe was gluten-free -- I am trying not to use white flour.

For the dry red wine, I substituted unsweetened cranberry juice. I used portabella mushrooms instead of white mushrooms (white mushrooms are not quite as nutritious and the flavor is roughly the same, portabellas might be a little firmer). I used tapioca flour, rather than wheat flour and I didn't have a bay leaf! I couldn't believe I didn't have a bay leaf.

All in all, it was a good recipe, we enjoyed it and I was somehow entertained by making a famous "faux" stew. My husband's grade -- good, he would like it again.

Beans Bourguignon
from "1,000 Vegan Recipes," by Robin Robertson

2 tablespoons vegan margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium shallots, cut into 1/2 inch dice
4 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/4 inch slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz. white mushrooms, lightly rinsed, patted dry and quartered
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 cup dry red wine
3 cups cooked, or 2 cans (15.5 ounce) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper

Make a beurre manie: In a small bowl, combine the margarine and flour and knead until incorporated. Refrigerate until needed.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, carrots and garlic. Cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes.

Stir in the thyme, bay leaf, tomatoes, broth and 1/2 cup of the wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are cooked, about 30 minutes. Add the remaining wine, beans and salt and pepper to taste.

Return to a boil. then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. While the stew is simmering, pinch off pieces of the beurre manie and add it to the stew, stirring after each addition to thicken. Remove and discard the bay leaf before serving. Serve immediately.