Moraccan Stew

I'm always on the hunt for new vegetarian meals - they are healthy, inexpensive, and less icky to prepare than meat dishes (confession - I HATE touching raw meat!).  This one will definitely be a repeat in our house - even our son (the picky eater) ate this sweet stew without complaint.

Moraccan Stew (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Spice blend:

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Stew:

• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cups finely shredded kale
• 4 (14 ounce) cans low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 small-medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 medium-large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 (15 ounce) can beans (the original recipe calls for garbanzo, but use what you like - we used black beans with good results), drained & rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water 

Combine cinnamon, cumin, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, curry powder, and salt in a large bowl, reserve.
 
In a large pot with a little cooking spray, cook the onion until soft and just beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the shredded kale and reserved spice mixture. Cook for 2 minutes or until kale begins to wilt and spices are fragrant.

Pour the broth into the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, honey, sweet potatoes, potatoes, beans, dried apricots, and lentils. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low.

Simmer stew for 40-50 minutes or until the vegetables and lentils are cooked and tender. If thicker stew is desired, combine cornstarch and water; stir into stew. Simmer until stew has thickened, about 5 minutes.