Moroccan Chickpea & Sweet Potato Stew with Quinoa

Feb 5, 2013




I've been eyeing this stew for about a month now, ever since I saw it posted on A Couple Cooks, and recently got around to making it. And, boy, am I glad I finally did! It's quite simple and brings together lots of vibrant flavors. A wonderful mixture of spices adds a bit of an exotic flare, while the yogurt, lemon, and cilantro keep it light and fresh.

I love that each of the ingredients not only brings a unique flavor to this dish, but also that they each contribute their own big nutritional punch. There's lots of protein, antioxidants, and vitamins in that bowl up there. This is one of those dishes you can not only enjoy for its great flavors, but also for its powerful nutritional offerings. 

Enjoy!

Notes: Obviously, fresh chickpeas are best, but canned will also be delicious. This stew can be served with brown rice or quinoa. A quick note on the quinoa: I prefer to sprout my quinoa whenever possible, to increase the nutritional and digestive benefits, but non-sprouted quinoa will also work just fine. The directions for this are the same as I have written below, just exclude the "day before" instructions. The stew itself is fairly flexible. I can imagine that a number of diced vegetables would make a great addition; feel free to throw in some of what you have on hand.  

Adapted from A Couple Cooks
Moroccan Chickpea & Sweet Potato Stew with Quinoa

sprouted quinoa
2 cups dry quinoa
2 cups water
2 tablespoons yogurt

3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 cups water

stew
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, pressed

1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teasoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 pinches cayenne pepper

2 cups vegetable broth
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 large (about 1 3/4 pounds) sweet potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
3 cups spinach
Juice of half a lemon

garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Zest of one lemon
Plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt

sprouted quinoa
(The day before...) In a glass bowl, mix together the quinoa, the first two cups of water, and 2 tablespoons of yogurt. Cover and place in a warm place for 12-24 hours.

When you are ready to cook the quinoa, strain the quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse well, until the water runs clear. Add rinsed quinoa to a medium pot with the salt and the last two cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Fluff with fork and set aside.

stew
Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 30 additional seconds.

Stir in the paprika, cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper. Stir for 30 seconds. Add vegetable broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then add sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Simmer the stew for 25 - 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in spinach and fresh lemon juice in the last 2 minutes.

Serve stew with quinoa. Garnish with cilantro, lemon zest, and a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Yield: Serves 4-6

16 friendly note(s):

  1. This is exactly what I want right now. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's no wrong time for a flavorful and healthy dish, is there? :)

      Delete
  2. This was really yummy, Brooke, and Dad thought it was THE BOMB! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll have to make it again soon so Dad can enjoy it again!

      Delete
  3. This looks so great! I love Moroccan dishes and this looks so hearty and delicious. Wow--and never heard of sprouting the quinoa--definitely going to look into this and try it out! Just discovered your blog and really excited to stick around and explore more of it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. P.S. Can you create an Open/URL option for the comment section?? Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Brooke,
    This looks very delicious, I hope you'll share it tomorrow at my party.
    I wanted to let you know that I nominated you for the Liebster Award today on my blog. Come by and check it out. Feel free to copy and paste anything you might want to use from the post, like the questions, ect.
    xoxo
    Wanda Ann @ http://www.memoriesbythemile.com/

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is my great pleasure to visit your website and to enjoy your excellent post here. I like that very much.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I was looking for health related website to review many issue. Now I’ve found your blog site with lots of amazing information. You did really excellent work. I’ll read your blog regular basis.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by and for the nice comment!

      Delete
  8. Rocking recipe! Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Neat Recipe. I've gotta try it. You should post more recipes. You've got a great start! I'm just starting too!
    http://naturalwinners.blogspot.com

    Keep up the good work!! SM:)E

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for this great advice dear i am very inspired of your blog.
    HealthCare CPA

    ReplyDelete
  11. to thank you for this special read. I definitely savored every little bit of it and I have bookmarked you to check out new stuff you post.
    pediatric dentist in gujarat

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

The Flour Sack All rights reserved © Blog Milk Powered by Blogger