Yes, I’m messing with the spice mix. So far I like the changes. Changes from the first version Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew are in bold. In this revision I used dried chickpeas instead of canned. The night before rinse one cup of dried chickpeas with 2-3 changes of water. Then add enough fresh water to cover the beans and soak overnight. (These little guys will approximately double in size so make sure you add enough soaking water). Before cooking, drain well, rinse and toss into a pot. Add enough water to cover, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Add some garlic and onion powders and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ginger powder)
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- crushed red or cayenne pepper to taste
- 3 cups cooked chickpea
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 15oz. can no salt diced tomatoes
- 4 cups MOL vegetable broth (MOL= more or less)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Add the onion, garlic, and ginger (fresh if you have some, powder if not) to a soup pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat Add the green pepper and saute for another few minutes.
- After a few minutes toss in the chili powder, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, cumin, cinnamon, thyme, and red pepper flakes or cayenne. Keep sautéing for another few minutes.
- Add the potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and chickpeas to the pot. Pour enough vegetable broth into the pot to cover the ingredients by an inch.
- Turn the heat up and bring to a boil.
After boiling, turn the heat down to low and simmer for about an hour, lid on partially covered. Stir occasionally. Add more broth/cooking liquid as the stew thickens. - After an hour taste and adjust your seasonings. The amounts of seasonings I used results in a very mild stew.
- Serve over rice (or not).
Confessions
This revision has been sitting in my unpublished drafts for a long time. It was time to revisit, cook and taste again to see if it was worth keeping around. I had a half bag of frozen carrots and a third bag of frozen corn. They got tossed into the pool. The corn is a nice addition, bringing in a little sweetness.
The dried cup of chickpeas makes approximately 3 cups cooked. I used the cooking liquid and less vegetable broth.
I’m flying solo this week. At least I have breakfasts and lunches ready to go.
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