Moroccan vegetable and chickpea stew
I love the warm spices in this satisfying stew – cumin, coriander and a touch of cinnamon. And the contrast of the sweet raisins and the spicy harissa condiment rocks my world. Eggplant isn’t a traditional vegetable for this dish, but it’s one of those slimy foods (along with oatmeal and okra) that contain soluble fiber, which lowers cholesterol. Oh, and it’s delicious. This is definitely going to become one of my go-to recipes – I could eat it for days on end. In fact, I just did.
Moroccan Vegetable and Chickpea Stew
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, cut into 1/2 inch half-moons
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
pinch cinnamon
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups vegetable broth (use gluten-free broth if you are gluten-sensitive)
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (recommend Eden brand – bpa-free cans)
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Harissa, purchased or homemade
Whole wheat couscous (or rice if you are gluten-sensitive)
Heat the oil in a dutch oven. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic, spices and salt and cook for 2 minutes more. Add all of the vegetables and stir to coat. Add tomatoes, raisins, broth and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, partially covered. Add a bit of extra broth if the stew gets too dry. (It will need more if the stew sits and thickens after you cook it.)
Serve the stew on whole wheat couscous, topped with the toasted almonds and a dab of harissa.
Serves 4-6
Sounds lovely! I’ve been eating somewhat spicier dishes lately and experimenting with the spices you list here, so most of the ingredients I do have at home. (I have a ton of dried chickpeas I’m looking to do something with, so I’ll soak/cook those beforehand in place of the canned.)
And I’m always on the lookout for things to do with eggplant that don’t “taste like eggplant”.
I had never heard of harissa before, btw.
I’ve had my eye on this recipe since you posted it, and finally made it last night. Delicious! My one regret is that I couldn’t find harissa on short notice. Next time, I’ll make the homemade recipe in advance, to have it on hand. YUM!
Caitlin, so glad you liked it! It’s one of my favorites. Next, try the curried quinoa with cauliflower and peas. That’s really great, too. And a bit less work.
i think this will become one of my daily dishes to go to as well
I’m now off to hunt for ingredients 
Thanks, Artur! Let me know what you think of the finished dish.
I have made something similar to this before and it’s a big time favorite! I like to put the raisins (golden), pine nuts (or almonds) some lemon juice and a nice handful of parsley in my couscous–instead of the stew. It makes such a great flavor for the couscous and it’s nice when you get a forkful of just that by itself. Plus, because it’s like having two dishes at once, the flavors are a little bolder–not so homogenized into one–and plays on your tongue like a couple of kids on a see-saw. I haven’t made this in a while, but during the summer, on the patio with a glass of dry white wine… I’m going to need that to happen next week when my finals are over!
Thanks Joey. I also considered putting golden raisins or dried chopped apricots in it. Next time….
hey, the finished dish really surprise me, since i expected it a bit more watery and i think i did something wrong, since it had nice spicy taste in the middle of preparing it, but it lost it at the end… anyway, here are raw photos of how it turn out, i hope to make article out of it soon
it was surprisingly tasty tho 😛
http://ubuntuone.com/p/umb/