(16) Moroccan Chickpea Stew

This one's a shout out to my veggie friend, Paige, who's inspired me to add more meatless mains to the rotation!!

This was INCREDIBLY flavorful and filling! I loved the different textures - hard chickpeas mixed with the soft tomatoes and potatoes. Our bowls were closer to 2c/serving - for only 250 calories!? Woohoo! I kept some of the seeds in the jalapeno so it would have a little kick (we like it spicy!), but if you're not a spicy fan, just take all the seeds out. This took 45 minutes from start to finish (which, coincidentally, was the time that it took the brown rice to cook in the microwave!). I was going to make green beans, but got lazy, and I'm glad. It didn't need a side, although a nice piece of naan or some sort of flatbread would have been yummy!

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Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Source: Cooking Light Magazine, November 2007
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups stew, 1/2 cup rice, and about 1 tablespoon yogurt)

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve over whole wheat couscous instead of brown rice, if you prefer. For milder heat, seed the jalapeño.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 medium)
1 cup diced carrot (about 1 large)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potato, about 1 large
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
3 cups hot cooked brown rice
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic, and jalapeño to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in potato and next 7 ingredients (through broth). Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Serve over rice. Top with yogurt.

Wine note: With spicy ethnic cuisine, seek out the German grape gewürztraminer, which yields wines with floral and lychee aromas, as well as natural sweetness that makes a perfect foil to the jalapeño and cumin in the stew. Chateau St. Jean Gewürztraminer 2006 ($15), from Sonoma, California, offers classic honeysuckle and melon aromas, with a spice-friendly sweetness and snappy acidity that adds texture to the dish. -Jeffery Lindenmuth

CALORIES 251 (14% from fat); FAT 3.8g (sat 0.6g,mono 1.9g,poly 1g); IRON 2.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 1mg; CALCIUM 97mg; CARBOHYDRATE 47.5g; SODIUM 401mg; PROTEIN 7.3g; FIBER 6.8g