Spicy African Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew (makes 4 servings)
Ingredients
· Spice paste (recipe follows)
· 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
· 2 cups of vegetable broth or water
· 1 can (16 oz) plum tomatoes, undrained, chopped
· 1 can (16 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drain and rinsed
· 1 ½ cups sliced fresh okra or 1 package (10 oz) frozen cut okra, thawed
· Yellow Couscous rice (recipe follows)
· Hot pepper sauce
· Fresh cilantro (optional)
Instructions
· Prepare Spice Paste
· Combine sweet potatoes, broth, tomatoes with juice, chickpeas, okra and Spice Paste in large saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover; simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
· Meanwhile, prepare yellow couscous.
· Serve stew with couscous and hot pepper sauce. Garnish with cilantro if desire.
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Spice Paste
Ingredients
· 6 cloves garlic, peeled
· 1 teaspoon coarse salt
· 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
· 1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
· 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
· ½ teaspoon ground ginger
· ½ teaspoon ground allspice
· 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Instructions
· Process garlic and salt in blender or small food processor until garlic is finely chopped. Add remaining seasonings. Process 15 seconds. While blender is running, pour oil through cover opening; process until mixture forms paste.
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Yellow Couscous
Ingredients
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 5 green onions, sliced
· 1 2/3 cups water
· 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads or ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
· ¼ teaspoon salt
· 1 cup of precooked couscous (precooked semolina)
Instructions
· Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add onions; cook and stir 4 minutes. Add water, saffron, and salt. Bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 5 minutes.
Enjoy :)
