Recipe: Moroccan Medley – a THM E main dish

Have you ever tried a recipe because the flavor combinations sounded so strange you simply had to? Yep, that was me a good many years ago when I first came across this recipe in a low-fat vegetarian cookbook. And though my kids and husband looked at me with raised eyebrows, everyone loved it and had seconds. The next time, I’ve added chicken breast to round out the protein (vegetarians we are not) and it remained a favorite.

When I paged through my dozens of old cookbooks to search out the few favorites that stood the test of transitioning to Trim Healthy Mama way of eating (and clear out my cookbook shelf), I stopped and stared at this one for a few minutes and realized it was very close to on plan as written. If I just removed this and added that and adjusted the other thing, it would add a tasty new dish to my E rotation!

THM is not a low-carb diet. It’s a smart carb diet! And I’ve found I do better when I am eating about half E meals (energizing meals with low-fat and moderate carbs) about half the time, and half S meals (satisfying meals with higher fats and low carbs). Most of my easy default meals tend to be S. I mean, what’s easier than bacon and eggs? A grilled steak, salad, and roasted veggies? So I needed to come up with some easy-peasy E meals too. Here’s one that’s a definite repeat.

Here are a few of the ingredients gathered together, ready to start cooking! Yes, I home-can tomatoes from my garden, as well as all manner of dry beans. I pressure-canned a big pot full of garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) and black beans last week, since I’d been all out of both for a while.

So… let’s get started!

Recipe: Moroccan Medley

(And here’s my obligatory disclosure that any product links might be affiliate links. Clicking on them doesn’t cost you a penny more, and I get a small percentage of any sales.)

Serves 5-6

• 3 chicken breasts (about 6 cups chopped)
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic

Sauté together until the chicken is cooked and the onion is translucent.

Add:
• 2 cups peeled, chopped sweet potatoes
• 2 cups garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas)
• 2 cups tomato pieces or diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup peanut flour (aka peanut powder)
• 2 teaspoons ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon powdered coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Simmer for half an hour or so until the flavors are well melded. If you like a bit more heat, feel free to add some red pepper flakes or Tabasco sauce.

Because this medley doesn’t have a lot of vegetables in it, you will likely wish to round out your meal with a salad or some cut veggies. Remember to keep the fats low in your dressing, since this is an E (carb) meal. I hope you enjoy this North African inspired dish as much as we do!

Love reading fiction? How about Christian romance? Raindrops on Radishes features a plus-size heroine in a battle for her backyard with the extremely fit urban farmer next door! (Psst: her journey to health is based on Trim Healthy Mama…)

Moroccan Medley is a main dish the heroine, Sadie, would come to enjoy by the end of her Trim Healthy Mama story! Like many of us, she’d struggle with the carb count at first, though.

Please Note: I am not an authorized Trim Healthy Mama coach or blogger, although I play one in fiction…