Vegetable Tagine

Here's another great recipe from Donna Klein's cookbook titled The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen.  There's a lot of chopping, but that just means there are a lot of fresh vegetables in this dish which is ultimately a very good thing.  And it's colorful, which means it covers a lot of the nutrient spectrum.  Finally, it just tastes good, too!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, slivered

5 c. vegetable broth, divided

1 can chopped tomatoes, drained (I saved the juice from the can and used it as part of my vegetable broth.)

1 potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

1 c. frozen green peas

6 oz. large green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 bell pepper (any color will work, but yellow would look great since this color is otherwise missing from the dish), seeded and coarsely chopped

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

2 c. instant couscous

3 T. chopped fresh parsley

juice from 1/2 of a juicy lemon

Method:

In a medium stockpot (not saucepan), heat 2 T. olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, and sauté 1 - 2 minutes more.

Stir in 2 c. vegetable broth, tomatoes, potato, salt (I used about 3/4 t.), and pepper.  Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.  Add the carrots and green beans and return to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the frozen peas, chickpeas, bell pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes (if using).  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer gently until all vegetables are tender (7 - 10 minutes).  Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring the remaining 3 c. vegetable broth to a boil.  stir in the couscous and remaining 1/2 T. olive oil.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let stand until all the broth is absorbed (about 7 minutes).  Uncover and fluff with a fork.  (Do a good job of the fluffing right away, because the longer the couscous sits unfluffed, the less fluffing you'll be able to do!)

Add the fresh parsley and lemon juice to the vegetables, stirring well to combine.  Season with additional salt and pepper as necessary.

Serve the vegetables over the hot couscous.  Makes 5 - 6 entrée servings.  I served mine with pita bread to keep with the Mediterranean theme.  Yum!