Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Happy Meatless Monday.

A friend of mine from work shared a recipe she had found  for a Moroccan style dish that she thought I might like. It has dried fruit, olives, a symphony of spices and sweet potatoes all spilled over couscous. I ‘m in. One of the things that I find so fun about this recipe is that when she first saw it, the original recipe was for a hulking chicken dish. She wanted it to be veg so she simply omitted the chicken making it the perfect dish  for a meatless meal.

So, my friend shared the recipe with me and I gave it to Sandy with the hope that she would use her  vegan recipe magic and revamp it for our Engine 2 style. She was able to make it low sodium, and omitted the oil and it was absolutely amazing. If you  find a recipe for a meaty dish that sounds fun, try it anyway and leave the meat out or replace it with a meat substitute or beans.

Photo By: S. Duquet

This dish is sensational. The spices and sweet are layered in a way that makes you think it had been simmering in a tagine all afternoon. I wanted more the moment I swallowed the last grain of couscous from my plate.

The ingredient list reads like a spice wish list of Christopher Columbus but I assure you, once you have these spices n your cupboard you will use them over and over.

Moroccan Style Curry

By S. Boulton

Ingredients:

2 C low sodium vegetable broth or water (I used a combination of both)

2 15 oz cans of chick peas drained and rinsed

1 C shredded carrots

1/2 C golden raisins

1/2 C chopped dried apricots

1 red bell pepper chopped

1 sweet potato cut into approx 1 inch cubes

1/2 C peas

2/3 C low sodium pitted green olives, rinsed

1 tsp garlic powder, plus 1/2 tsp

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, plus 1/4 tsp

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp curry powder

2 tbsp liquid aminos

1 tsp ginger juice (or 1 tbsp of minced fresh garlic)

1 cinnamon stick, approx 4 inches

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Make it Happen:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit.  Lightly spray baking dish with vegetable oil.  Toss sweet potato, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder in dish with a splash of water.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring broth/water to a low boil with remainder of garlic powder and cayenne pepper, curry powder, liquid aminos, ginger, cinnamon stick, cardamom, turmeric and cumin, stir.  Add chick peas and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add shredded carrots, raisins and dried apricots and simmer 3 more minutes.  Add red bell pepper and peas and simmer 5 minutes more.  Add olives and lemon juice and simmer 3-5 more minutes until olives are heated through.  Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and gently stir into the mixture.  Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

10 minutes into dish, prepare couscous according to directions on box.  We chose a plain whole wheat couscous and I added a bit of seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1/2 tsp curry, just to infuse the flavors a little.   Fluff before serving.  You could substitute the couscous for brown rice or your favorite grain.

Photo By: S. Duquet

Serve the Moroccan Chix  over the couscous and enjoy, a lot. I served this smokin yummy meal with icy glasses of Gingerly with frozen mango chunks and it was out of sight. The flavors in this dish made me feel grateful that we can cook and consume and enjoy new foods in abundance.

Have a delicious day and a fun and inventive Meatless Monday. Share your meatless meal or meals for the week. I would love to hear about it.

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