Moroccan Aubergine & Chickpea Stew

Here is a dinner suggestion in situation you are looking for a new recipe to attempt above the weekend. We initial manufactured this stew for lunch a number of days ago. I’ll admit that it was somewhat over-ambitious as a lunch project, but it did tick all the correct boxes for a late november meal and we are quite certain it is anything you will appreciate as nicely. Each Luise and I are obsessed with Moroccan flavors. Our technique is rarely strictly traditional, we usually just throw a complete bunch of Moroccan-ish ingredients, like mint + cinnamon + cumin + raisins + pomegranate seeds + lemon + almonds into the very same dish and then blindly call it Moroccan. That is also what we have done with this Aubergine &amp Chickpea Stew. It is a little bit like a winter version of our (favorite) Moroccan salad recipe from Green Kitchen Travels. It’s warm and comfy with huge chunks of slow-cooked aubergine, super flavorful with sweetness from cinnamon, saffron and raisins, has crunchy toasted almonds on top and freshness from mint, yogurt and pomegranate seeds. If you skip the yogurt on prime, it’s also entirely vegan. We have had it for lunch and dinner three occasions this week and we are even now not tired of it. Ok, maybe just a tiny bit. Especially Elsa. She usually tells us that “we are the worst parents ever” whenever we serve repeat-meals and photo shoot leftovers for dinner.

Saffron is really utilised as a Christmas spice in Sweden, so in situation you are searching for an untraditional Christmas dinner, I consider this would be a pretty great option. Particularly with these pretty jewel-like pomegranate seeds on top. Our recipe is best for four persons but it can effortlessly be doubled if you are cooking for a crowd, just use a large saucepan.

In situation you haven’t cooked with millet just before, it is time to add it to your repertoire. It is a gluten totally free seed that is soft and flavourful and works perfectly as an alternative to couscous or bulgur. It also has a comfortably quick cooking time.

Moroccan Aubergine &amp Chickpea Stew
Serves 4 

2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
2 onions, peeled
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 massive chunk fresh ginger
1 aubergine
two tsp ground cinnamon
one tsp ground cumin
one/two tsp ground paprika
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp tomato paste
1  x 14 oz / 400 g tin crushed tomatoes
three cups vegetable stock
one/4 tsp / ,5 g crushed saffron or approx. 6 saffron threads
1 x 14 oz / 400 g tin chickpeas / garbanzo beans (or 200 g cooked chickpeas)
3/4 cup / 100 g yellow or brown raisins
1 lemon, zest (save the rest of the lemon for the salad) 

Cooked Millet
one cup / 200 g uncooked millet
two cups / 500 ml water
one/two tsp sea salt

Lemon, Avocado &amp Herb Salad
2 huge ripe avocados, reduce in half, destoned and flesh scooped out
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley (or coriander/cilantro), coarsely chopped
1 massive handful mint leaves, coarsely chopped
one lemon, juice
2 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
sea salt &amp ground pepper

To Serve
one/two cup / 75 g toasted almonds*, coarsely chopped
one/2 pomegranate, seeds
1/two cup / 120 ml Turkish yogurt (optional)

Add oil to a massive saucepan on medium heat. Minimize the initial onion in massive chunks and the second 1 finely along with the garlic and ginger. Add them all to the saucepan and allow sauté for about 10 minutes or until soft. Meanwhile lower the aubergine into bite-size chunks. Add it to the pan along with all the spices and tomato paste. Allow fry for five-six minutes, stirring usually. Include a splash of water or oil in case the spices get started to burn up towards the bottom of the pan. Then add the crushed tomatoes, two cups of the vegetable stock and the saffron, stir around until finally it boils and then reduce the heat. Put a lid on the sauce pan and allow gradually simmer for 30 minutes, stirring sometimes. Add the chickpeas, one/two cup of the raisins and the final of the stock (if it seems like it’s needed) and let simmer for 15 minutes much more or until finally the aubergines are soft and tender, stir in the lemon zest appropriate at the finish of the cooking. Meanwhile, include the millet to a medium-sized sauce pan and dry-toast on lower heat for 2-three minutes, then include water and salt, boost the heat and carry to a boil, then decrease the heat and allow simmer for about eight-9 minutes. Get it off the heat and let sit for a number of minutes to absorb all the water. Add the remaining raisins and use a fork to integrate the raisins and fluff the millet. Prepare the salad by cutting the avocado into chunks, coarsely chopping the herbs and placing them in a bowl along with the pomegranate seeds. Whisk collectively lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper, include it to the bowl and toss. Serve in bowls with the stew scooped on top of the millet, the salad on the side and almonds, pomegranate seeds and yogurt on leading. Get pleasure from!

* We toast almonds by soaking raw almonds in heavily salted water for 20 minutes and then draining the water and roasting/toasting them in the oven on 300°F / 150°C for 20 minutes. But you can also toast them in a pan. Or basically use retailer-purchased dry-roasted almonds.

Read More About Fat Loss Recipes At NaturallyCurvy.com