Veggie Marrakesh

This recipe was actually my husband's discovery and together we have been working on perfecting it ever since. It's hard to explain what marrakesh is, I've seen it likened to curries and tagines, but I think it's more consistent with what I consider a stew. Using spices traditional to Moroccan cuisine including cumin, turmeric and cinnamon, this dish certainly packs a lot of flavor and is perfect for those cool fall and early winter evenings when vegetables are plentiful at the market but you find yourself craving something warm and hearty.

In my experience, there tends to be two kinds of dieters: those who know so much information about micronutrients and antioxidants that they immediately jump onto the fad diet du jour, and those that have no idea what is healthy or not. As a medical student, the first group represents the greater challenge, because they are savvy about nutrition yet it is exceedingly difficult to convince them of basic principles of weight loss such as the need for proper portion sizes and that fad diets are not realistic long-term dietary solutions. When I think of the perfect diet food, this dish is it.  It's real, homemade food at it's finest, loaded with seasonal vegetables, richly flavored with an array of spices with little added sugar or fat. There are no secret or processed ingredients, and anyone stirring the pot could easily identify every ingredient by appearance alone. Personally, I struggle with processed foods. Yes they're convenient, but they are scientifically engineered to reflect flavors and textures readily found in nature and there is nothing natural about them. This is real food, easy to make, inexpensive per serving, can satisfy a small army of teenage boys, and freezes and reheats beautifully for leftovers. When your doctor tells you to eat more vegetables, we don't always mean eat more salads, we mean add more vegetables to everything you eat, and this is a fantastic way to get your family to do that.

Realistically you can use any combination of vegetables you want in this recipe, and I tend to pick things that are either growing in my garden, in season at my farmer's market, or just on sale at the mega mart. You easily could add yukon gold potatoes or winter squash for a little variety. I also use chickpeas as the main protein in this recipe because they are inexpensive, but if you wanted to add an extra boost of protein you could add leftover diced chicken, or even simmer some cubed tofu or seitan if you like. Tip: this dish takes about 20 minutes of hands-on cooking time and is ready in 45-60 minutes. If you are short on time, cut your vegetables into smaller pieces (1/2 inch dice max) and you'll have this on your table in under 40 minutes, depending on your knife skills. As written, a very generous serving of this will cost you 385 calories and 16 grams of heart healthy fat guaranteed to keep you pleasantly full and satisfied for these cooler temps. I like to serve this with a side of Perfect Brown Rice for a complete and simple meal. Enjoy!

Veggie Marrakesh, serves 8-10

2 sweet potatoes, peeled cut in 1" cubes
1 small eggplant, cut in 1" cubes
2 bell peppers, cut 1" dice
3 carrots, cut in 1/2" dice
2 zucchini or summer squash, cut in 1" dice
1 medium onion, diced
6 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper (skip if using hot curry powder)
2 cans chickpeas
1/2 cup unsalted cashews
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 cups orange juice
1 9-oz bag fresh spinach

In a large Dutch oven, saute sweet potatoes, peppers, carrots, and onion in 3 Tbsp oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add eggplant and zucchini and saute for an additional 5 minutes.

In a separate small pan, mix remaining oil, garlic, turmeric, curry powder, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne (if using) and saute over low heat for 3 minutes or until just fragrant. Pour spice mixture over the sauteed vegetables. Add chickpeas, cashews, raisins, and orange juice, stirring well to combine. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. As vegetables are nearly fully cooked, add spinach and stir again, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve with a side of brown rice. Makes excellent leftovers for lunches and freezes well.