Spiced Bean Stew

adp206's Note:

An Arabic-style dish containing delicious mixture of spices and beans. From the book: The Kitchen Shrink: Foods and recipes for a healthy mind by Natalie Savona. Substitute nutmeg for cardamom if desired. Add a dash of chili powder for added spice. You can use any canned beans as well as preparing your own dried beans. Both canned and dried beans taste about the same but using dried beans would be a healthier choice. If using dry beans prepare them according to your recipe or as noted on package before adding to recipe.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 6.0 cups

• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, can substitute nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can white beans, drained
• 16 ounces water
• fresh parsley sprig

Directions:

1. Soften the onions and garlic in a large pan with the olive oil.
2. Add the powdered spices and stir well for a few minutes.
3. Add in the tomatoes and then the beans.
4. Pour in a can of water and leave the mixture to simmer for at least half an our until stewed.
5. Serve the stew garnished with a generous amount of parsley and accompanied by brown rice.

Reviews

[UmmBinat]

Very good, filling & no salt! I thought maybe the lack of salt was a mistake but it didn't need any. I used canola oil in place of the olive oil as my only olive oil would have burned as it is unrefined. I freshly ground whole cardamom pods & used good canned tomatoes. I ended up using canned chickpeas as my beans as I thought I had other beans on hand when I didn't. Garnished with the chopped flat leaf parsley made this dish for me. Served with white Basmati rice and Middle Eastern Arugula Salad.