let's go to morocco. NOW.

So I had this serious, for real blog planned for tonight. It's been rolling around my brain all day long. Big plans.

And then I had dinner.

And all of my thoughts left my head except for this one: OHMYGOSH THAT WAS THE BEST THING EVER, I MUST TELL EVERYONE I KNOW!!!! See, I'm a giver, right? When I eat something amazing, I can't bear to keep it to myself. I want you all to taste it too. So here we go. Get ready for tastiness. Well, the thought of it anyway. I mean, I do have leftovers, but I will stab anyone who comes to my house thinking they can try them. HA. I'm not that giving of a giver.

First, some back story. When I was in college, I studied Arabic for three semesters. FUN FACT, right?! True story. Don't ask why I was taking Arabic. I think I was just bored with life, and when I get bored with life, I default to dreaming about the Middle East. So anyway, after a few months of studying Arabic, I decided I wanted to go on a study abroad trip to Morocco. I was really pumped about it. But then...the program got cancelled. Something about 9/11, unrest in the Middle East...who knows. But the study abroad program was no more. And I was sad, but not devastated.

Now let me interrupt that boring story with this: If I had known what Moroccan food tasted like, I would have been way sadder. If food in Morocco tastes anything like this stew-- well, I don't know why anyone would ever leave. This is all I could think about tonight when I was eating dinner. I want to live in a place where this is all I eat ever. Ever. (Well, I would also like to eat bacon. This and bacon. I'm not sure if those things co-exist in the Middle East, but surely we can work something out...)

So! Don't let the picture above fool you into thinking this is some run-of-the-mill veggie soup. IT'S NOT. Take a closer look at the players:

I know. Raisins? Trust me on this one. It works.

So I got this recipe from my friend Courtney. I have no idea where she got it-- she mentioned it (with a picture) on Facebook one night last week and when I immediately expressed interest, she emailed me the recipe. I don't know where she got it. If I find out, I'll give credit where it's due-- I'm not trying to steal anyone's recipe and claim it's mine. I did not invent this stew. Whoever did should win some kind of prize, though. So since I don't have a handy-dandy link to share, I'm going to have to type out the whole recipe. I know, I'm a martyr.

Edit 2/20/13: Courtney told me that she got the recipe from the Happy Herbivore's meal plan. I could not find this particular recipe listed on her webpage (although she has tons of other amazing-looking recipes-- all vegan, many gluten-free and soy-free as well!) and have contacted her for permission to share the recipe here. If you like this recipe, be sure to go check out some of her others!

Moroccan Stew- vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free
-2 potatoes, cubed (we used regular, sweet would be great!)
-16 oz. carrots, cubed
-1 onion, diced
-30 oz. chickpeas (undrained)
-4 cups veggie broth 
-1/2 cup raisins
-2.5 tsp cumin
-1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
-2-3 lemons (or 3-4 tsp lemon juice)
-10 oz frozen spinach

-line a large skillet/pot with a thin layer of broth and saute potatoes, carrots, and onions til onions are translucent (recipe said ~3 min...I did it for about 10)
-add chickpea liquid, veggie broth, raisins, cumin, pumpkin pie spice, salt & pepper. Stir to blend, then bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, simmer for 8 min.
-mix in 1 cup chickpeas and simmer 2-4 minutes or til potatoes and carrots are just tender
-mash remaining chickpeas with a fork, mix them in along with the lemon juice
-add spinach, more broth if desired (I didn't), and stir til heated through

Makes 4-6 servings.

 
And then eat, eat, eat, eat, eat. I looooved it. If you try it, I bet you will too. Have a great night!