Eggless Shakshuka

Ok, here's one from We Cook Vegan that I'm actually making more or less as intended.  I did use dairy milk when I made it because I was going to sprinkle cheese on top.  Otherwise, I would have gone all in.

The nice part of a shakshuka stew is that you can put anything you want into it.  Both bell and hot peppers are common, but I chose to use canned corn instead.  The sweet potato is a twist I hadn't seen before.

The egg in this is replaced with chickpea flour and cornmeal dumplings.  That isn't a ton of protein, which is why I added cheese.

Still loving the meal bowls.  I'll get over them at some point.  They are a huge asset with a recipe like this.  Served with a side of surprisingly good frozen asparagus, this was a far more filling meal than I expected.

Vegetables

1 Tb olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
*1/2 tsp cumin seed
salt to taste
*2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb sweet potato, peeled and 1/2" diced
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
*1 15 oz can kernel corn
1 C vegetable stock
1 Tb date syrup or brown sugar
*1 C chopped parsley

Dumplings

1 C chickpea flour
*1/2 C cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tb margarine
2/3 C milk or non-dairy milk (oat or soy would mesh well)

1.  Heat a wide skillet, at least 14", over medium heat.  Add oil and onion.  Stir to coat and cook until onion is softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add spices, salt, and garlic and cook until fragrant, another 2-3 minutes.

2.  Add diced sweet potato, canned tomatoes in their juice, and corn in its liquid.  Stir in stock and date syrup until everything is evenly mixed.  Bring to a low boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and keep at a low boil 15 minutes.

3.  While the stew is cooking, make the dumpling batter.  Stir together chickpea flour, cornmeal, and baking powder.  Cut in margarine until the mixture is like wet sand.  Add 1/3 C milk (or substitute) and work into a thick paste.  Add another 1/3 C and it will form a batter.  In the next 10 minutes until the stew is ready, the batter will thicken.

4.  Remove the lid and sprinkle in the chopped parsley.  Spoon mounds of batter on top of the stew.  It's ok if some of them start to sink.  I was surprised that none of them got soggy.  This recipe may work as a GF/keto corn muffin batter.  I'll have to try that sometime.  Put the lid back on and simmer another 15 minutes.  The dumplings puff up more than I expected.

5.  Serve hot, with the dumplings over a bed of stew.  You can garnish with herbs and/or feta.

Serves 4-6

Difficulty rating  :)