Lentil and Mushroom Tagine

Tagine is a traditional Moroccan stew usually served in ceramic dishes that resemble sultans hats more then any cooking pot.  So after traveling for a few days on my impromptu Canadian excursion I was really craving something good.  Not fried, not delivered through a drive through window, but something slow cooked on the stove that could deliver all the vegetables that I should have eaten throughout our trip.  Yes I was good and ended up skipping the Poutine but my eating habits could easily be described as disgusting when I travel.

This recipe comes from Whole Foods and calls for every imaginable vegetable available.  Yes it does.  Even if you do not see it on the list you can always add it.  Plus it can be made in a slow cooker just in case you do not have time to actually cook.

You will need these vegetables:

1 1/2 cups chopped onions, 3 garlic cloves minced,1 cup of chopped celery, 1 cup of chopped carrots, 4 cups assorted mushrooms, 1 1/2 cups chopped portobello mushrooms, 1 cup sliced assorted peppers, 1 lb spinach, 2 cups canned diced tomatoes, lemon zest for garnish

These condiments, spices and lentils:

3tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tbs cider vinegar, 2 tsp paprika, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp fennel seeds, 2 cups lentils, 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne.

I started off my chopping away at carrots, celery

onion, garlic and

mixed peppers.

Heat 3 tbs of olive oil on medium and add onions, cook until softened (slightly golden) about 3-5 min

add garlic, carrots and celery and continue to cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender

In the meantime if you have not done so you can slice the mushrooms, I bought my presliced except for the portobella so there was not much slicing going on, not after all that extensive dicing

add the mushrooms

1 1/2 tbs of cider vinegar

topping off with spices: 2tsp paprika, 1 1/2 cumin, 2 tsp fennel seeds (whole).  Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Now this is the part you will have to be careful about.  At the moment these aromas fill the air your husband, boyfriend or male in your house will come rushing to the kitchen wondering where is the sausage?  Seriously.  It took me a while to realize that the mental association of a meat eating male makes the smell of fennel remind him of  Italian sausage he just ate or wish/hope that he was eating.  As much as I could lie and tell you that this dish fills his love for meat, its not going to happen since it is vegan, filled with vegetables and beans so for most males acts like garlic on vampires.

Getting back to the female friendly dish add the lentils,

canned tomatoes

vegetable stock, salt, ground and cayenne pepper.

bring to boil

cover and simmer until lentils and tender and most liquid is absorbed

about 20 min

at that time add colorful bell peppers

and spinach and cook  till the spinach is wilted.  Stir in the lemon zest.

This is the dish that you (maybe not a male reader) as a female will adore, that makes you feel light and healthy, even though you just wolfed down enough fiber to blow the house to smithereens if you choose to and bloat you up so you look like at 3 months pregnant with twins (sorry that is only objective measuring scale that I have).  It will not weigh you down for long, will make your skin glow and make you hungry for another bite.

Serve with warm pita bread, couscous and drop of hot sauce.

Nutritional Information: Serves 8, Per Serving: 250 calories, 16 g protein, 42 g carb, 4.5 g fat, 840 mg sodium