Beef-Less Bourguignon

Here's is my take on a classic Julia Child recipe. Beef Bourguignon redone using Gardein's Beef-Less Tips and Lightlife's Smart Bacon. This is something that I totally thought I would never be able to veganise so well. I am absolutely loving Gardein's new Beef-Less Tips. It was my second time cooking with them and they really do make dishes like this possible again. Serve this dish alone or with a side of pasta noodles or rice.

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Serves 4

Ingredients

* 2 Tb extra virgin olive oil

* 5 ounces vegan bacon

* 1 package of Gardein Beefless Tips

* 5 carrots, sliced diagonally into 1 inch chunks

* 1 yellow onion, sliced

* 2 garlic cloves, minced

* salt and pepper

* 1 Tb all-purpose flour

* 1/2 cups red wine

* 1 cup "beef" stock, such as Better than Bouillon

* 1 Tb tomato paste

* 18 small white pearl onions

* 4 Tb vegan margarine, try Earth Balance

* 1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

* 1 bay leaf

* 2 cups button mushrooms, quartered

Directions

1. In a large pot, saute the "bacon" in 1 Tb extra virgin olive oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Add another 1 Tb of olive oil to the pan and the "beef" and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and set aside.

3. Add the carrots and onions to the pan, add 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

4. Return the "bacon" and "beef" back to the pot. Add the red wine and enough "beef" broth.

5. Add the tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

6. Combine 2 Tb of margarine and the flour and stir into the stew and add the pearl onions.

7. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of margarine for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and then add to the stew.

8. Bring the stew to a boil and the lower the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf and season to taste.