A warming Moroccan stew recipe for this beautiful Fall weather!

Happy Friday! It has been amazingly beautiful here in Santa Cruz this week, lovely 75 degree days with 45 degree nights/early mornings... Fall is definitely upon us. The sky is bright periwinkle blue, and the sun is shining a warm orange color through the leaves. Slippers and sweaters have come out at our house, and we have even started turning on our pellet stove in the evenings. This is by far my favorite time of year, I love all things cozy- blankets, tea, smart wool socks... The other night I was craving a warm, spice-laden stew, and middle eastern food is my all time favorite, so I made this Moroccan inspired stew that was the perfect dinner for a lovely Fall evening. The beauty of this recipe is that it is very easy to tweak to your dietary needs- Paleo, Vegan, etc, just a few changes and you can make it work for you. It works well in a crock pot, and I promise you when you get home from a long day of work and smell this simmering in your kitchen you will swoon! My husband was outside planing a tree that fell down on our property to make it into a mantle for our pellet stove area (he is a rockstar, seriously), and he walked in the house and just about melted as he smelled the stew bubbling away. It is super easy to make and tastes even better the next day, as the spices really get the chance to meld together. Without further ado:

Fall Spiced Moroccan Stew:
(makes a big pot- I usually just make a lot and freeze the left overs)

Ingredients: (paleo/vegan swaps included)
Big dollop coconut oil or Ghee
Few (3ish) cups of bone broth or veggie broth
Grass fed ground lamb/bison or soaked beans of your choice (I always recommend purchasing dried beans and properly soaking them overnight instead of canned beans, because the soaking decreases the phytic acid in the beans- phytic acid = unhappy tummy- and can liners contain BPA)
1-2 sweet potatoes, chopped
1-2 large bell peppers, chopped
Few carrots, chopped
1 cup stewed tomatoes (I cook down and freeze my own tomatoes, but you could use fresh if you are trying to avoid store bought canned tomatoes- which I suggest you avoid- or if tomatoes are not in season, just leave them out)
2-3 dates, pitted and chopped up
garlic and onions (I go heavy on both, a whole head of garlic and 2-3 onions, but it's up to you)
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp ground coriander
Salt and pepper
chopped up greens of your choice (we did a cup of chopped kale)
chopped fresh cilantro and lemon zest for the topping

Saute the onions and garlic in the coconut oil/Ghee, until the onions are translucent. Add the meat if you are using it, and saute until cooked- (add more oil/Ghee if you need to). Add the spices and let cook for a few minutes, being careful not to burn it. Then transfer this mixture to a large stock pot or the slow cooker, and add the broth. Add in all the chopped veggies (except the greens, cilantro and lemon), the beans (if you are using them), the dates, and the salt and pepper. If you are using beans, be sure to let them cook in the stew for 3-4 hours so they are nice and digestible. If you aren't using beans, just cook until it smells amazing, letting everything simmer together for and hour or two to really seal in the flavor. Add the greens about 20 minutes before you are ready to eat it, so that they are still nice and fresh when you gobble it up. Serve with fresh cilantro and a sprinkle of lemon zest on top, with a salad or for those of you who eat bread, a great loaf of something yummy.

This meal was super satisfying on a cool Autumn evening, and it freezes well for leftovers. It can be tweaked however you want, and other veggies can be used as well- say, winter squash instead of bell peppers.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and let me know if you try it, and what you think! Happy cooking!