Categories: food
Date: 06 May 2006 20:24:19
I made this yesterday, from the Low GI Cookbook, and very nice it was too (not to mention easy). I haven't done much out of that book, as nearly all the main courses are meat dishes, and this was one of only two veggie main courses. But I'll definitely make it again. It says it serves 4, but having served up a portion to me and one to my guest, I managed to get another 5-6 portions of leftovers for the freezer. If I'd eaten a quarter of the amount this made, I'd be stuffed for a week.
2 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 onions, sliced
1 aubergine, chopped (I made sure I salted and 'sweated' the aubergine beforehand so it wasn't bitter)
625g sweet potatoes, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
600 ml (1 pint) vegetable stock
200g green beans (I missed these out as I couldn't find any decent beans)
400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 tomatoes, chopped
350g couscous (except I used quinoa instead, as I had some already in the cupboard)
2 tbsp chopped fresh mixed herbs (I used parsley and coriander)
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
NB All timings approximate - these are the timings according to the recipe, but I think most of the time I did things for a bit longer as I was chatting while I was cooking. It didn't seem to adversely affect anything.
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and onions and fry for 2-3 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the aubergine and sweet potatoes and fry for 3-4 minutes, then add the spices and cook for 1 minute.
Pour the stock into the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the beans, chickpeas and tomatoes and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the couscous/quinoa according to the pack instructions. Mix the herbs into the couscous/quinoa with the lemon rind and juice. Serve the couscous/quinoa with the stew.
Delicious, though I say so myself. The starter was various crudites (cucumber, peppers, etc) with houmous and spicy bean dips, and for afters I did a really basic fruit salad (just kiwi fruit, red grapes and raspberries, a surprisingly tasty combination). Recommended.