Vegan MoFo Day #14: Tagine For Two

This a very special day! Not only is it Day 14 of Vegan MoFo, the end of its second week, but today marks exactly 3 weeks until the presidential election! Although this has been the longest presidential race in history, I serisously cannot believe it is about to be over...it seems like all these debates, commmericals, rallies, and smears are just everyday news. Since John McCain and Sarah Palin CLEARLY are idiots, and Barack Obama and Joe Biden are CLEARLY going to make wonderful president and v.p., I am obligated to remind you today and everyday until November 4th to go vote. For Barack. F'reals.

Now, onto the fooooods! It is MoFo, after all! Today was kinda icky and dreary, so a nice warm stew was for sure needed for dinner! I had some local eggplant and sweet poatoes to use, so Moroccan Tagine was perfect! I made my favorite tagine recipe...Tagine For Two...that I have posted about before, and served it with some whole wheat couscous and a cucumber-dill raita sauce. This is so flavorful and fragrant, so it fills your home with all its yumminess... You just can't help but make this healthy, veggie-packed, and delicious stew! It must have been invented for chilly fall days like this!

Moroccan Tagine

I got this perfect and beautiful local eggplant yesterday to make one of my absolute favorite fall dishes: Moroccan Tagine! I have made this for a few years and I am certain it gets better every time! And since I bought the newest issue of Vegetarian Times recently that happened to feature Moroccan cuisine, I have had it on the brain... I often make this recipe so I can eat it for one meal and have another portion for a leftover dinner the next night, but last night I shared my meal with my friend Anna, who had never had Moroccan food before...so it was a treat for both of us!
I served the tagine over whole wheat couscous and drizzled it with a cucumber raita sauce. This meal is seriously divine...and awesome on a chilly fall night!
Tagine for Two (serves...2!)

1/2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, minced

1 medium carrot, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1 small eggplant, diced...and for God's sake leave the peel on!

1 small sweet potato, diced...also with skin on. come on people.

1/2 cup artichoke hearts, quartered

1/4 cup raisins

1 cup chopped tomato

4 kalamata olives, sliced

1 can garbanzo beans

1 cup chopped greens--I like kale or spinach especially

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T turmeric powder

1 T cinnamon

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne, or paprika if you're not into heat

pinch of salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes, until it starts to brown and caramelize. Add in the green pepper, carrot, ginger, and garlic, and saute for 2-3 more minutes. Add in the eggplant, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and spices and cook for 5 more minutes. Squeeze in the lemon juice to deglaze the pan (adding a little water if needed), then stir in the garbanzo beans, olives, artichokes, greens, and raisins and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 more minutes, covered. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over fluffy whole wheat couscous and drizzle with Lemon Cucumber Raita sauce (recipe below)!

**I also like to add zucchini, cabbage, or peas sometimes, but this combination is my favorite!

Lemon-Cucumber Raita (Serves 2)

1/4 cup plain soy yogurt

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup cucumber, chopped

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/4 cup mint leaves

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

pinch of salt and pepper

1 clove garlic

Put everything in a blender or food processor and puree together until it has a smooth, creamy consistency. Chill for an hour or so before serving. Serve drizzled over Tagine for Two!