Warming spices liven up this 30-minute vegan recipe. Season the sweet potatoes and canned chickpeas with cumin, coriander, ginger and cinnamon.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
It doesn’t get much healthier than this vegan vegetable and chickpea stew!
Have you tried this spice blend before? Key ingredients are cumin, coriander, ginger and cinnamon – they create a warming blend that’s perfect for spicing up a hearty vegetable stew and serving on a cold day.
The exact spice mix in ras el hanout can vary widely depending on where you buy it, and it can include anything from the spices listed above to saffron and rose petals. Morocco is famous for its spice markets, and the direct translation of ras el hanout is “top of the shop”, much like how we refer to good spirits as “top shelf”.
But no worry! The recipe I’m giving here uses spices that you probably already have in your spice cabinet or that are easy to find at the grocery store. Feel free to use a store-bought version here too.
Think of this stew as a template – a Fantastic Template. Once you’ve made it, try experimenting!
It tastes great the day it’s made, but I think days two and three are the very best. It freezes well and will keep, tightly sealed, in the refrigerator for up to five days.
We’ve served it over whole grains like brown rice or millet, but couscous would be fantastic too. Optional sides include fresh herbs, vegan or regular yogurt, fresh chilies, and lemon or lime wedges.
Sweet potato and chickpea stew with ras el hanout
ingredients
For the ras el hanout seasoning mix (or substitute a store-bought mix):
-
1 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
-
3/4 tablespoon coriander
-
3/4 tablespoon ground ginger
-
2 teaspoon Cinammon
-
2 teaspoon turmeric
-
1 teaspoon crushed red chili (for a spicy stew) or 1 teaspoon mild paprika powder
For the stew:
-
2 tablespoon olive oil
-
1 big Oniondiced (6 to 8 ounces)
-
3 tablespoon fresh gingergrated
-
2 tablespoon Ras el Hanout
-
4 to 5 Middle carrotssliced (about 1 pound)
-
1 medium parsnipdiced (approx 3/4 lb)
-
2 medium sweet potatoespeeled and diced (approx 1 lb)
-
2 roasted peppers (from the jar or homemade), diced
-
1 tablespoon Lemon peelgrated
-
1/2 Cup dried apricotsroughly chopped
-
4 cups water or share
-
1 (15 ounces) can Chickpeasrinsed and drained
-
6 to 8 cups baby kale or baby spinach
-
lemon wedgesfor garnish (optional)
-
cut jalapeno pepperfor garnish (optional)
-
Chopped corianderfor garnish (optional)
-
Vegan or regular yogurtserve (optional)
method
-
Mix up the ras el hanout (or substitute at the store):
Whisk all the spices together until well blended. This makes a little over 1/4 cup spice mix. Use 2 tablespoons for this recipe and store the rest in an airtight container for up to 1 year.
-
Cooking onions:
Sauté the onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until the onions start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir often so it doesn’t get too brown.
Add ginger and 2 tablespoons ras el hanout and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
-
Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer:
Add the carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, peppers, lemon zest, apricots, and stock or water and stir well. Turn the heat to medium-high and cover.
-
Boil 10 minutes:
The stew should simmer slightly during this time. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a low simmer.
-
Remove the lid, add the chickpeas and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes:
or until parsnips and sweet potatoes are fairly tender and just beginning to break down. Taste the stew and add salt, pepper and more ras el hanout to taste.
-
Just before serving, stir in the fresh greens:
Stir gently until the greens are wilted.
-
Surcharge:
Serve with fresh coriander, a spoonful of yogurt (vegan or dairy), sliced chili and lemon wedges.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 265 | calories |
| 6g | Fat |
| 46g | carbohydrates |
| 10g | protein |
