Saturday, February 16, 2013

Moroccan-Style Carrot, Tomato, and Chickpea Stew

Moroccan cuisine is known for its exotic combinations of sweet and savory flavors and interesting spice mixtures.

Such was the inspiration for this delicious, healthy, vegan-friendly stew. Raisins and cinnamon add a sweet touch, complemented by the subtle heat of the optional cayenne pepper and the exotic accents of cumin and turmeric.

Serve with cooked couscous or rice.

RECIPE:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (15.5 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (preferably petite-cut), undrained
1 cup vegetable broth, plus more as needed
1/4 cup golden or black raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, to taste

In a deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Add the carrots and onion, and saute for about 5 minutes, or until softened.

Add the garlic, and saute for another minute. Do not let the garlic get brown.

Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, 1 cup of vegetable broth, raisins, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne (if using), along with salt and pepper to taste. Raise heat and bring the mixture almost to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 25-35 minutes, or longer as needed, until the carrots are tender but not overcooked.

Uncover and simmer over medium-low to medium heat for an additional 5 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly thickened. If too thick, add more broth as needed.

Stir in 1 tablespoon of the parsley or cilantro.

Sprinkle with the additional parsley or cilantro, as desired, and serve.

-- 4-6 servings

8 comments:

  1. I adore Moroccan food and this looks gorgeous!
    I would love it if you shared this with Healthy Vegan Fridays, a blog hop co-hosted by 3 bloggers. I'm sure our readers would really enjoy this. You can submit a post from Friday to end of Tuesday:
    http://www.greenthickies.com/healthy-vegan-friday-30/

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  2. This looks delicious - I love Moroccan flavours. Might have to dust of the tagine and try this one!

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  3. I'm a big fan of moroccan food (and moroccan kitchenware!! Just spent a small fortune last weekend on some lovely hand-painted bowls and plates). Your chickpea stew looks lovely. I love those sweet and savoury flavours..

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  4. I just took a free Moroccan cooking class... I love their seasonings. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us on foodie friday.

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  5. This looks delicious! I love moroccan food and considering carrots and chickpeas are up there in my favourite food list this looks like a no-brainer for me try! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Mary, great that you linked up to Food on friday again. Hope life is treating you well. Cheers

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