so this is some delicious Moroccan chickpea stew… i know to some it may sound “yucky”… or a little too ‘fancy’ for the average home cook; but i’m here to tell you that you couldn’t be more wrong on both accounts!! this is one of the easier dishes i make on a regular basis, and it is absolutely yummy. i have to say, sometimes it’s nice to enjoy a dish without meat in it too! this recipe comes straight out of Cooking Light, the November 2007 issue. when i think about this dish, it evokes thoughts of sitting beside a cozy fire in the comfort of my own home. -but the funny thing about it is… if you serve it over the cous-cous like i always do, it’s just as yummy to have it in the spring and summer with the nice breeze blowing it’s aroma out your window and onto the patio!! bottom line… ‘ u gonna like it’.
OK HERE’S WHAT’S UP:
Add a swirl of olive oil to a nice, sturdy dutch oven. (large saucepan) Dice a large onion (small dice), set aside. Mince two or three cloves of garlic, set aside. Cut two large carrots (peeled) into small bite sized pieces, set aside. Take a jalapeno pepper (for more heat do not seed- for mild dish seed it) and finely dice it. set aside. doing all of this prep work first makes throwing this one pot meal together a piece of cake… trust me. Take three medium yukon gold potatoes, wash and dry and then cut into bite sized pieces. i never peel them, ever. set them aside. OK, turn on your heat. medium high will do. Once your oil is hot, add your onion, carrot and jalapeno. Saute for a few minutes and then add your garlic. continue to saute until onion is tender, stirring frequently. (about five mins) Take and add your potatoes, and then go ahead and turn heat down to medium. give a quick stir and then open up your 3 cans: chickpeas, canned diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. drain and rinse your chickpeas. add to pot, along with the undrained tomatoes, and the can of vegetable broth. measure and add your spices, according to ingredient list below. give it a stir, and then let it come to just a boil. cover and reduce heat to simmer. give it 15 mins like this, or until potato is tender. while it’s cooking, prepare a box of couscous, which has the same difficulty factor as making toast. 🙂 you’ll serve your stew atop a scoop of this, it’s delish and the texture is genius. take a nice rip of cilantro, chop and stir into stew when cooking complete. reserve a little to sprinkle over your bowl as well. Take out your plain yogurt, and stir to smooth out a bit. Once all of this is ready, take a nice shallow bowl, add a scoop of couscous to it. Top with a generous ladle of stew. Top with a nice dollop of yogurt, and sprinkle some cilantro over all. Eyeball the gorgeous dish you are about to consume… and be proud of yourself. Not only can you make something that looks this beautiful, you can pat yourself on the back for doing something healthy.
peace and love, yo.
shopping list
large onion
yukon gold potatoes
large carrots
1 jalapeno pepper
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
28oz can diced tomatoes
15oz can vegetable broth
15oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1/4 tsp salt
box of plain couscous
fresh cilantro
1 small container of plain yogurt (not greek, it’s too thick)
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