eclaire (what’s in a) name?

when i bring my leftovers into the lunch room at work (hi, coworkers!), i get a lot of questions about what i’m eating and where i found the recipe. i absolutely love having this kind of conversation, as we can all share our favorite places to find new and delicious ideas. most of my recipes come from vegetarian times, food blogs (see blog roll to the right), and a solid collection of cookbooks i’ve acquired over the years (thanks, friends and fam!).although all of these are great places to find recipes, i think the ones that are recommended by friends and family are the best. they’re tested, tried, and true, and most often become the keepers for me. this recipe, for sweet potato curry with chick peas, celery, and apples falls into the recommended category. mike and i ran into his sister while grocery shopping last winter, and she offhandedly mentioned she was shopping for this meal and gave a rave review.

when she emailed me the recipe, i made it right away, and have been making it frequently ever since (although i let it rest a little over the summer and early part of the fall, as i wasn’t prepared to heat up my whole house by baking a casserole). there’s a lot of chopping involved to make this meal, but once that’s done, you just throw it in the oven, set the timer, make some rice or couscous, and relax. the dish is hearty enough for the coldest of winter nights but it’s not heavy, and that’s exactly what i love about it. you finish the meal and feel warm and full and good – and that’s rare for a winter casserole. so now that the nights are longer and darker, why not make this casserole at your home soon? oh, and be sure to share your favorite recipes with your friends and family, too!

sweet potato curry

adapted from Vive le Vegan
yields 6 servings

• 3c cooked or canned (and drained) chick peas
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 3/4c onion, diced
• 1½c celery, diced
• 1½c sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and chopped
• 1½c apple, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½T grated ginger
• 1½T curry paste (we like thai kitchen)
• 2t ground mustard
• 1t cumin seeds
• 1/2t ground turmeric
• 3/4t salt
• 1/8t ground allspice
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1. preheat oven to 375º
2. combine all ingredients in a large casserole dish (when adding the spices,whisk them into the coconut milk at the sides of the pan first to incorporate)
3. stir the liquid and spices through until well combined
4. cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes
5. stir again, cover, and bake for another 30-40 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender
6. serve over brown rice or couscous