^[1]This is such a warm and welcoming dinner to come home to on a cold winter day and it is especially good served with a loaf of crusty bread warmed in the oven. From The Blooming Platter Cookbook ^[2] by Betsy DiJulio, by permission of Vegan Heritage Press, © 2011. See the special offer for this book, following the recipe.

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Serves: 4 to 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 fennel bulb, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• Sea salt
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 cups ground or chopped vegan sausage (see Notes)
• 2 bay leaves
• Pinch dried basil
• Pinch dried oregano
• Pinch smoked or sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 ounces kale, thick part of stems removed, and coarsely chopped

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, fennel, and a pinch of salt, and sauté until golden.

Add the garlic and the red bell pepper and sauté, until softened, 3 minutes.

Add the crumbled or chopped vegan sausage to the skillet. Sauté until the sausage develops a light golden brown crust.

Add the bay leaves, basil, oregano, paprika, and sage and stir well. Stir in the stock and white beans and bring to a simmer. Stir in the kale and cook for 5 minutes or until tender, but still bright green.

Serve the stew hot or allow it to cool. Remove the bay leaves, cover, and refrigerate. Like most stews, this tastes best when reheated and served the next day.

Notes:
I like Lightlife’s Gimme Lean® Ground Sausage Style in this stew, but another type of vegan sausage may be used instead. Sautéed tempeh or additional white beans may be used in place of the sausage.

If using tempeh, you will likely want to use a little bit more of each spice called for in the recipe in addition to adding some fennel seeds and perhaps a little thyme.

• Here are more Warming Winter Soups. ^[3]

* Special Offer: The Vegan Heritage Press ^[4] (VHP) is offering a 25% holiday discount on all of its titles, including The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes ^[5], through December 31, 2011. The sale prices are available at Amazon.com ^[2], your local book dealer or direct from Vegan Heritage Press ^[5], who now offers retail sales through its new online store ^[5].

Betsy DiJulio is a longtime vegan and food journalist. An exhibiting artist and board-certified art instructor, she enjoys food styling and photography. Betsy blogs about her vegan delights at TheBloomingPlatter.com. ^[6]