Works For Me Wednesday

Vegan Cooking
(Not to be Confused With Cooking Vegans)

We have a few friends who are vegan. They don't eat any animal products --- no meat, dairy, eggs. It's hard to invite these friends over for a meal because I never know what to cook.

I think I've found an answer to my cooking dilemma. A few weeks ago I tried the following recipe from Canadian Living magazine (May 2005). It was easy to prepare and tasted delicious. Even my brother-in-law, an avowed carnivore, helped himself to seconds.

The magazine suggests serving this stew with whole wheat couscous. (Gotta love couscous. Even my four-year-old can make it.) We enjoyed it paired with brown rice.

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Tagine

2 C. white pearl onions, or 2 onions, cut in wedges (I used regular onions)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced (I omitted this)
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I omitted this)
3 C. cubed peeled sweet potato (1 large potato)
1 can (540ml) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 C. vegetable stock
2 C. cauliflower florets
1 C. frozen peas
2 tbsp. minced fresh coriander

Place pearl onions in heatproof bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand 5 minutes; drain and peel.

In large, deep skillet or shallow dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat; fry pearl onions, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, paprika, ginger, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper; fry, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add sweet potato, chickpeas and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in cauliflower; simmer, covered, until almost tender, 20 minutes. Add peas, simmer, covered, until hot. Sprinkle with coriander. Makes 4 servings.

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