Cauliflower and Chickpea Tagine

vegan , plant based
Cauliflower and Chickpea Tagine

Cauliflower and Chickpea Tagine

I have really been into Moroccan meals lately. Mostly because I really enjoy cooking in a tagine. Yes I still have not given the tagine back to our friends, but I will soon and get one of my own!  I think I just enjoy it because it’s so quick and easy. You just throw all your ingredients in there and put the lid on and leave it alone for 20 -30 minutes and it comes out perfect and so flavourful every time.

I am not an expert on Moroccan cooking by any means, I generally stick to three different tagines and have only been cooking them up more often now that I have an actual tagine dish! I used to struggle away in a normal pot for a lentil one that I used to make. I am not going back now!  You can find the recipe for the last tagine I made here  https://talidavoinea.au/mixed-vegetable-tagine-with-apricots-and-dates/

This time round I decided I would have liked a little more protein so I settled for this chickpea and cauliflower dish  that I adapted and veganized from the same cookbook I used last time ” Vegetarian Tagines & Couscous by Ghillie Basan” and it was even easier to make than the last one! It was warm and hearty but light at the same time. I should stress that I added double the amount of tomatoes that I was supposed to because I love tomatoes ( too much) so unfortunately my dish turned out a lot more red in colour than I wanted it do, but I have no regrets! it was amazing! We ate it with a little bit of brown rice and some naan bread we picked up from our Indian take away store down the road. No its not the healthiest of breads ( I wish they would do a whole wheat version) but super yummy and the cook book said that this particular tagine is usually served with bits of traditional bread. I have no idea what traditional Moroccan bread is like, but it looks very much like naan bread in the pictures so we got some! I usually have my own healthier naan type bread in the freezer ready to go every time we have a home made curry or soup but I had run out and I don’t know, I just love bread! so I had to have some! and I felt like the dish wouldn’t be complete without it! I will share a couple of recipes for my home made naan breads on the blog soon.

I have recently stumbled across an article that lists 28 science backed health benefits of cauliflower. I need it as a reminder to myself since I don’t eat enough cauliflower. Truth be told, you probably wont find too many recipes on my blog like “cauliflower rice” or “cauliflower pizza base” which I know have been trending for a while because even though I enjoy cauliflower more than I used to as a child, it is still not my favourite and the taste does really stand out to me. I do however love cauliflower in a tagine or curry, so that is how I use it and eat it.. hence this recipe! This article has inspired me to try get more cauliflower into my diet! https://www.well-beingsecrets.com/cauliflower-health-benefits/

Hope you enjoy the recipe.

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Cauliflower and Chickpea Tagine
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Recipe type: Savoury
Cuisine: Moroccan
Hazel & Cacao:
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
  • 1-2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion coarsely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic - crushed
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar
  • 1 can chickpeas
  • ½ cauliflower trimmed into small florets
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tsp moroccan seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Bunch of parsley roughly chopped
  • ½ preserved lemon finely chopped *
Method
  1. Heat your oil at the base of your tagine dish ( or saucepan if not using a tagine)
  2. Add your onion and fry off for 2-3 minutes until softened
  3. Add crushed garlic, coriander seeds and coconut sugar and cook for another 2-3 minutes
  4. Add your chickpeas and cauliflower florets and moroccan seasoning. Toss well to combine.
  5. Season with salt and pepper as you go
  6. Add can of tomatoes and ½ cup water ( or just enough water to cover the florets, it may be more or less depending on your dish)
  7. Bring liquid to boil, reduce heat and cover with lid. Let simmer covered for 20 minutes until the cauliflower is tender
  8. Toss in half your parsley and your chopped preserved lemon and let cook for another 5 minutes
  9. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
  10. Garnish with extra parsley and serve with brown rice, flat bread or couscous.
  11. * you can use the juice of 1 lemon instead of preserved lemon if you can not find it but will not be as sweet.
Talida

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