Easy Vegetarian Stew

During the past 5 years there has been a huge increase in the number of vegetarians and vegans in this country. Personally I'm not one of them but due do the massive amount of information at our fingertips nowadays, it is relatively easy to find out anything you want to know good or bad about the food that we eat.

Preparing food for a vegetarian can sometimes be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Here is a very easy (but time consuming) vegetarian recipe using what I think is a great, healthy but underutilized ingredient: chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans.

Vegetarian Chickpea Stew

1can (8oz) Pre-cooked Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans

1can (16oz) Tomato Juice

1/2C White Wine

2medium Tomatoes (cored and rough chop)

2clove Garlic (chopped)

1med Onion (medium dice)

1med Zucchini (medium dice)

1med Carrot (peeled and medium dice)

1med Squash (medium dice)

1small Eggplant (peeled and large dice)

1ea Lemon (juiced)

1/2bunch Thyme (chopped)

1/2bunch Rosemary (chopped)

3T Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

• In a large stockpot, drizzle olive oil and turn pan to medium heat. When pan is hot enough add the garlic, and onion until aromatic. Add in the carrot and sauté for a few minutes to par-cook.
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• Add in the eggplant, squash and zucchini and sauté for about 2-3 minutes to combine all flavors. Deglaze the pot with the white wine and reduce for 5 more minutes
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• Add in the raw tomatoes and cook further for about 5 minutes.
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• Pour in the tomato juice so that it covers all the ingredients, if more liquid is needed, add water
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• Bring to a slow simmer and add in the chickpeas. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add in the fresh herbs and lemon juice, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Now, chickpeas have an al dente texture to them and that is something you do not want to loose while cooking (that is why you add them in during the last part of cooking. As far as the vegetables go in this recipe, you can really use anything, I chose these as sort of an all around accessibility factor. However the eggplant in this recipe is fairly non-negotiable, and to those who do not like eggplant...I don't either but this recipe will cook them long enough to where you barely notice them. They act as a thickening agent in the stew and add a nice texture as well.