Moroccan Vegan Vegetable Tagine

Serves 6-8

Time 1 hour

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 carrots, chopped
½ cauliflower, chopped
1 eggplant, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 cup green beans
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
1 x (400g) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 x (400g) can of diced tomatoes
500ml vegetable stock
8 prunes, pitted and sliced
½ cup dried apricot, chopped

For the couscous
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of pearl couscous
2 cups of water
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Juice of ½ a lemon
4 dates, roughly chopped

To serve
¼ cup sliced almonds
1 lemon, sliced into wedges

Method

Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to tagine and sauté onion and garlic on low heat for 5 minutes.
Add all spices. Add carrot, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, green beans and cherry tomatoes. Add the stock, chickpeas, canned tomatoes, prunes and apricots. Cover and cook for 45-50 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Several times during cooking, remove the lid and spoon the sauce over the vegetables to keep ingredients moist.
To prepare the couscous, add 1 tbsp over extra virgin olive oil to a small sauce pan and toast the couscous over a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes or until couscous is tender. Stir in fresh parsley, chopped dates and lemon juice.
Serve tagine with couscous mixture and top with almonds and lemon wedges.