Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew

Unlike my good friend and cooking buddy Mrs. Tracy Jill, I am still a meat eater. But I asked for Jack Bishop's "A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen" for Christmas, because I am interested in bringing more vegetables into my diet. I consider myself a good cook, but without this cookbook my veggie selection was basically limited to broccoli steamed in the microwave and occasionally asparagus. My dinners are much healthier and more nutritious now that I have recipes that are easy to cook, taste delicious and have me asking for seconds of the vegetables, not the bread, pasta or meat. I made this stew last night and loved it! The flavors worked so well together and start to finish it took me less than 30 minutes to make. I definitely had seconds, but I never felt like I had over-eaten. Usually I fall into a post carb and meat dinner coma every night, but this stew gave me energy, woke me up, and made me feel great. I highly recommend it. 5 stars:)

Kale and Chickpea Soup with Parmesan

Tonight's dinner: Kale and Chickpea Soup with

without Parmesan. So, I tried to make a healthier, non-cheese version of Jack's soup, because as many of you know, Tommie fears The Cheese. Frankly, it came out pretty good, but I definitely think that if you did flavor the soup with the parmesan rind while it simmers and then sprinkle shaved parmesan and oil over top just before serving, this soup would be fabulous.

On the nutrition side, it's wonderful: kale, carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and chickpeas. That's a whole lotta nutrient-rich fuel. But without the cheese, the viscosity, was disappointing. Tommie made himself some toast and added pieces to the soup, which actually worked very well.

We're gonna give this dish a 3.75. The flavors were there, but without the parmesan it just didn't knock my socks off.

BTDubs, I had one unintentional cooking gaffe: You're supposed to remove the rosemary sprig from the soup before serving, but all the needles fell off the stem by the time I needed to do this. I wonder if I simmered the soup too briskly?

Spicy Vegetable Tagine

I forgot the cilantro!!!!! I've made this dish many times -- it's easy, tasty, and highly nutritious, but when we sat down and started eating I felt like something was missing. When Tommie got up to clear the table he realized the chopped cilantro was still on the counter. It seems crazy, but to me the dish definitely suffered without it.

Fortunately our guests seemed to enjoy the meal despite the non-cilantro flavoring. Basing my rating solely on last night's meal, I give this dish a 4. That really reflects more my cooking than the actual meal. I can't believe I forgot the cilantro.

One more thing: our friends who ate with us are carnivores who don't often eat vegetarian meals and were surprised by how good the food made them feel. I read a question made by a nutritionist recently that seems apropos: "You wouldn't put the lowest grade fuel in your BMW, why would you do that to yourself?"