Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve over whole wheat couscous instead of brown rice, if you prefer. For milder heat, seed the jalapeño.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups stew, 1/2 cup rice, and about 1 tablespoon yogurt)

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1  cup  diced yellow onion (about 1 medium)
• 1  cup  diced carrot (about 1 large)
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  jalapeño pepper, minced
• 1 1/2  cups  cubed peeled Yukon gold potato, about 1 large
• 2  teaspoons  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  chili powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground turmeric
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1  (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1  (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1  (14-ounce) can organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
• 3  cups  hot cooked brown rice
• 1/2  cup  plain low-fat yogurt

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic, and jalapeño to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in potato and next 7 ingredients (through broth). Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Serve over rice. Top with yogurt.

Wine note: With spicy ethnic cuisine, seek out the German grape gewürztraminer, which yields wines with floral and lychee aromas, as well as natural sweetness that makes a perfect foil to the jalapeño and cumin in the stew. Chateau St. Jean Gewürztraminer 2006 ($15), from Sonoma, California, offers classic honeysuckle and melon aromas, with a spice-friendly sweetness and snappy acidity that adds texture to the dish. -Jeffery Lindenmuth

Nutritional Information

Calories:

251 (14% from fat)

Fat:

3.8g (sat 0.6g,mono 1.9g,poly 1g)

Protein:

7.3g

Carbohydrate:

47.5g

Fiber:

6.8g

Cholesterol:

1mg

Iron:

2.2mg

Sodium:

401mg

Calcium:

97mg

Alexandra Jamieson, Alexandra Jamieson, The Great American Detox Diet, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2007