Here is a nice hearty stew that is -almost- vegetarian...if you want to do full tilt veg, take out the chicken stock and sub it with vegetable stock instead :P

Taken from my local Providence Journal, recipe by Ellen Brown, on Jan. 12, 2011.

Ingredients:

* optional

1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 shallot, chopped
* 1 roasted red pepper
1 small fennel bulb, cored and diced- I certainly got rid of the butt end, but everything ELSE- leaves and all- don't waste a thing, unless the stems are brown and nasty!
5 cups of 1 inch pieces diced and toasted Italian bread (I had "lite" but I see no reason you can't use any good kind of really crusty bread, including a nice rosemary olive bread)
1 (28 ounce) can imported plum tomatoes, drained and chopped, liquid reserved (you dont need to go all imported- any large can of chopped tomatoes will do, just make sure you get the plain kind!)
3 cups vegetable stock (vegan) or chicken stock (flex)
2/3 cup cup firmly packed chopped basil leaves...I had dried oregano, plus a touch of chives, dried parsely...but yeah, thats the key ingredient that gives this stew a good ooomph!
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 to 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To make:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and fennel and cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes or until the onions / fennel / garlic & shallots are nice and translucent.

Add in the bread, tomatoes, red pepper and reserved liquid. The recipe calls to add the basil now- but I would say, hold off...

Simmer the stew for 30 to 40 minutes (I only needed 30) but at the halfway mark, THAT is when I would add the basil, so that it gives you the oomph you need!

You can prepare this stew up to 2 days in advance, tightly covered- serves 6 to 8.

Enjoy!