Vegetarian Moroccan Stew

Vegetarian Moroccan Stew -

This delicious, healthy North African-inspired stew is served with warm bread or even over couscous. You can make the entire stew ahead of time, let it cool, and refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for several months. You can also chop the veggies and mix the spices ahead of time, freeze them, and assemble it with the canned ingredients the day you wish to cook it for a wonderful exotic meal in just 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

Spice Mixture:
 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 1 teaspoon ground cumin
 1 teaspoon kosher salt
 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
Stew Vegetables:
 1 tablespoon butter
 1 sweet onion, chopped
 2 cups finely shredded kale
 4 (14 ounce) cans organic vegetable broth
 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
 4 large carrots, chopped
 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
 1 tablespoon honey
 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
 1 tablespoon water (optional)

Directions:

Combine cinnamon, cumin, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, and curry powder in a large bowl.
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion in the butter until soft and just beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in kale and spice mixture; cook until kale begins to wilt and spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Pour the vegetable broth into the pot. Stir garbanzo beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, lentils, apricots, and honey, into the broth; bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until vegetables and lentils are cooked and tender, about 30 minutes. Season stew with black pepper.
Dissolve cornstarch in water; stir into stew and simmer thickened, about 5 minutes.