Meatless Monday with Moroccan Chickpea and Vegetable Stew

Welcome (back) and thank you for joining us for another Meatless Monday. We took the Meatless Monday pledge as part of our environmental initiatives at our green call centre in support of reducing meat consumption to improve personal and planetary health. You can read more at meatlessmonday about the how this small effort can have great impact.

Our vegetarian recipe today is a taste of Northern Africa with a Moroccan chickpea and vegetable stew. This is recipe healthy and packs a nutritious punch and comes courtesy of the Urban Herbivore via bodybynature.ca. Now, let’s get cooking.

Ingredients
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 rib celery, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced into rounds (we used 2)
• 2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup peeled ginger, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 3/4 tsp whole caraway seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
• 3/4 lb celery root, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
• 19-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• salt & pepper to taste
• parsley for garnish

Preparation
In large pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions, celery and carrots.  Cook, stirring, for 7 mins. Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add garlic and ginger.  Cook, stirring, for 2 mins. Add cumin, caraway and cloves; cook 1 minute.  Add sweet potatoes, celery root, chickpeas, tomatoes with juices, soy sauce and water. Raise heat to high.  When mixture starts bubbling, cover and reduce heat to maintain gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper. Ladle stew into warmed bowls.  Sprinkle with garnish and serve

This meal is not only delicious but also healthy, low-fat and vegan. We all can easily make a great vegetarian dishes but this one will also satisfy those choosing a vegan diet. Complete this meal by serving it over brown rice or couscous. We recommend brown rice over white rice as it has more fiber and more flavour.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit meatlessmonday.com to learn more. Join the movement and promote taking the Meatless on Monday pledge to co-workers and make your green call centre, office, factory, shop or salon even greener.

Enjoy!