Vegetable Slow Cooker Tagine for My New Little Vegetarian
My youngest, Connie, has been noodling around with the idea of becoming a 
vegetarian for some time, however it still came as a bit of a shock when she announced her new regime just moments after finishing the apple pie and cream course of our turkey – with – all – the – trimmings Thanksgiving dinner.
“OK if you are sure” I said lightly, checking myself. “That’s probably going to mean a lot of beans, lentils and tofu. Oh and eggs,” I added, as I turned to Graham my husband, rolled my eyes in a moment of exasperation and settled on him with a silent, pleaful “what next?” Sisterly love intervened as Lily interjected with “what about bacon? You love bacon?” But true to form Connie really meant it (because she is that kid) and so we are taking her seriously.
In reality it has been a much easier transition than I anticipated. We’ve found our new norms and continue to cook the same basic dinner and simply modify the protein for her. So to honor Connie’s new found love for meat free food and in preparation for me being out of the house for 14 hours a day during the One of a Kind Show this weekend, I reached for our Slow Cooker Moroccan Tagine blend. The warm and fragrant sauce comes from our proprietary blend of whole spices and the addition of the earthy saffron from our friends at Rumi Spice. Connie loves the plump garbanzo beans which add a much needed texture to the Tagine while the green olives lend a salty and savory bite.
Visit us as the show in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago at booth E36 in the 
Emerging Artist section. The show is in its 16th year, welcomes over 600 artists from all over the United States and gives you the opportunity to purchase something special, directly from the artists themselves, for the holidays.
- Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tsp / 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups / 1 medium white onion, diced
- 3 large carrots, chopped into 3” x 1” pieces
- ½ cauliflower, broken up into florets
- 2 sweet potatoes, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 2 turnips, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- ½ cup olives, (green or the black salted moroccan variety)
- 6 oz / ½ cup raisins
- 1 x 15 oz can garbanzo beans
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups / 24 fl oz vegetable broth
- 1 Moroccan Tagine blend
- 1 cup couscous
- combine the garlic, onion, carrot, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, turnips, olives, raisins, garbanzo beans, salt, and vegetable broth in the slow cooker
- tuck the spice bag into the vegetable mixture and leave to steep
- cover and cook on LOW: 4-5 hours or HIGH: 2-3 hours
- 10 minutes from the end of cooking time remove the live, stir in the cous cous and replace the lid for the remainder of the cooking time
- serve in a bowl and top with toasted almonds or pistachio and fresh mint
- pair with a herbal, fruity green tea with mint or hibiscus
“Children are not things to be moulded, but people to be unfolded.”
– Jess Lair
