Moroccan Spiced Eggplant And Chickpeas Food

MOROCCAN SPICED ROAST CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pat the chickpeas dry between two paper towels then place on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil then roast the chickpeas in the middle of the oven, tossing every 15 minutes, until deeply golden, dry and crunchy, 40 to 45 minutes.
• While the chickpeas roast, prepare the spice mixture: combine the cumin, brown sugar, cayenne, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, paprika and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until the color is uniform. As soon as the chickpeas come out of the oven, toss with the spice blend. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MOROCCAN-SPICED EGGPLANT AND TOMATO STEW

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Add diced eggplant, drizzle with avocado or olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat and roast for 30-35 minutes, flipping / tossing near the 20-minute mark.
• In the meantime, heat a large rimmed pan or pot over medium heat. Once hot, add oil (or water) and onions. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until soft and slightly caramelized.
• Add garlic, cumin, and paprika and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute more.
• Add tomatoes and their juices as well as water (or vegetable broth). Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 4 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
• Remove cover and add (rinsed, drained) chickpeas (optional), maple syrup, and harissa paste and stir to coat. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat.
• Remove roasted eggplant from oven, turn oven off, and add eggplant to the tomatoes and chickpeas. Stir to combine and cover. Simmer over medium-low / low heat for another 10 minutes to allow flavors to deepen.
• Taste and adjust flavors as needed, adding more maple syrup to balance the heat, cumin, or paprika for smokiness, salt to taste, or harissa paste for spice.
• Serve as is or over rice or grain of choice (or pasta or roasted vegetables) with wedges of fresh lemon and fresh chopped parsley or cilantro. Additional harissa paste can be added as garnish for additional heat.
• Store completely cooled leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat on the stovetop, adding more water or vegetable broth as needed to rehydrate.

MOROCCAN EGGPLANT AND CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Slice onion and press garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting properties.
• Heat 1 TBS broth in a 10-12 inch skillet. Healthy Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic, red bell pepper, eggplant, garam masala, and turmeric. Stir to mix well for a minute, and add broth and tomato sauce.
• Stir again to mix, cover, and cook over medium low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until peppers and eggplant are tender.
• Add garbanzo beans, lentils, red chili flakes, and raisins.
• Simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro.

ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH SPICED CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees and lightly oil two baking sheets (or use nonstick). Combine the 1/4 cup olive oil and the peanut oil. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with the mixture, then place on pans. Roast, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, spices and molasses, and bring to a simmer. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste. (The amount of sugar will depend on the tomatoes' sweetness; there should be a hint of sweetness in the mixture.) Simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook until thick, 5 to 10 minutes more. Stir in half the pine nuts and set aside.
• To serve, place a slice of eggplant on a platter and spoon tomato-chickpea mixture onto the wide end of the slice. Fold the narrower end of the slice over to cover the filling and place a mint leaf on top. Repeat with remaining slices and garnish with remaining pine nuts. Serve cold or at room temperature, topping each piece with a dollop of yogurt, if using.