Who needs meat when great vegetarian recipes abound?

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed (or more, if you like)
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 2-3 good tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup broth (or water)
• Pinch of saffron
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• Sea salt & pepper
• Good squeeze of lemon
• Fresh cilantro or mint
• 2 Tbsp. diced preserved lemon (optional)

Ingredients:

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot. When warmed to shimmering add the paprika and cumin. Swirl around for a minute and add onions and garlic. Cook until soft.
2. Add carrots and cauliflower. Stir and cover. Steam for about 5 minutes, stirring a few times.
3. When vegetables lose their crispness add the tomatoes. Cook until bubbling.
4. Add the chickpeas and broth, along with the saffron and preserved lemon. Cook until vegetables are tender.
5. Season with salt & pepper and lemon juice. Stir in your herb of choice.

Serve with couscous.

This is also great with green or black olives added. Feel free to increase the quantity of spices, and look for smoked paprika: it adds a wonderful dimension to the flavour. You can also toss in a 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick in to the mixture, or ¼ t of cinnamon when you add the other spices.

Black bean fajitas

1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic
2 t chili powder (or more)
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cup cooked black beans
Squeeze of lime
Zest of 1/2 a lime
Sea salt & pepper

Saute onion and garlic until soft. Add chili powder and cook for a minute. Add tomatoes and black beans. Cook until heated through and thickened. Season with salt & pepper. Add lime juice and zest.

Serve with warmed tortilla shells and a selection of garnishes. Our favourites are avocado slices, slivers of red pepper, salsa, and carrot cabbage slaw.

It’s important to give the red pepper a good scrub in hot soapy water and rinse well since bell peppers are known to have high pesticide residue.