So you are probably asking yourself, what is a Tagine?  According to Wikipedia (which seems to be the place to go for definitions these days), "A tajine or tagine is a Moroccan dish, which is named after the special pot in which it is cooked."

 

I found this recipe in a Weight Watcher slow cooker cookbook and I love it.  I’ve made it so many times that the book opens right up to this page.  It is a healthy and easy vegetarian recipe that goes in the crockpot.  And as you know (or will soon learn), I love my crockpot!

 

 

Begin by slicing the onion.  Add to pot with oil and garlic.

 

 

Take the pot off the heat and stir in the spices.  They really make the flavor of this dish!  Place onion mixture in crock pot.

 

 

 

Add chopped vegetables and prunes on top of onions.

 

 

Stir low sodium vegetable broth with honey.  I used 4 cups of broth since that is what comes in the container.  Pour broth mixture into crock pot and stir.  I set my crock pot for the 8 hour setting and off I went to my 90 minute deep tissue massage!

 

 

 

When I returned, the house smelled wonderful and I had a fabulous dinner waiting for me.  I serve this dish over couscous and sometimes add the almonds.  The recipe is meant to be divided in half and can be frozen up to 2 months.  This dinner reheats easily for leftovers, and I will look forward to my dinner when I get home from work this week.

 

Now…just wait until you see what I try with my leftover parsnips!

 

 

Root Vegetable Tagine

 

Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground ginger

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 carrots, sliced ½ inch thick

1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

½ cup pitted dried plums

3 cups vegetable broth (I used 4 cups)

1 tablespoon honey

¾ cup whole wheat couscous

¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted

 

Directions

 

-Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5-6 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat; stir in cinnamon, cumin, and ginger.  Transfer onion mixture to 5-6 quart slow cooker.  Add potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, parsnip, and dried plums.  Combine broth and honey in a large bowl; stir into vegetable mixture.  Cover and cook until vegetables are fork-tender, 3-4 hours on low or 6-8 hours on high.

-About 15 minutes before cooking time is up, cook couscous according to package directions, omitting salt if desired.  Cover with almonds before serving.