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:)

Smoky Sweet Potato Puree with Spiced Spinach

Go Canes!!! It's not often that my dinner is orange and green, but looky there!

This is the first time I've made this dish, and overall I'd say it was a success. The recipe calls for chipotle chiles in adobo sauce mixed into the mashed sweet potatoes, and that flavor combo works great. The sweet and the smoky blend perfectly.

After much thought, Hubby and I have decided that this dish gets 3.5 stars. Flavor = 5 stars. No protein-- I deduct a half point. But the kicker was texture. We felt it needed something crunchy or solid to offset the mushiness. So, for that we take off another point.

Though I'm loathe to say this: Meat eaters -- this would be a great side dish to pair with a simple meat. Your body will thank you for feeding it nutrient-rich spinach and sweet potatoes to fight off those free radicals.