Chicken Stew with Sweet Peppers

My fun with roasted bell peppers continues; they add a pop of bright color to this Gardein chicken stew.  Try a mixture of red, orange, and yellow peppers to contrast with the canned green chiles.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 Gardein Tuscan chicken breasts (without sauce)
• 3 cups chopped zucchini
• 1 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1/3 cup drained canned chopped green chiles
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 (15.5-ounce) drained can Great Northern beans
• 1 and 3/4 cups vegan chicken broth (prepared from Not Chick'n bouillon)
• 1 cup chopped red, orange, and yellow Roasted Bell Peppers
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan, along with the onion; saute for 5 minutes.  Add the zucchini, carrot, green chiles, oregano, cumin, salt, black pepper, garlic, beans, and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes - the vegetables should be tender.

2. Stir in the roasted bell peppers; cook, uncovered, for a final 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with the cilantro.

Note: this is a great stew to make in advance - it will keep well in the fridge up to 2 days. Reheat over medium heat in a saucepan, but do sprinkle with the cilantro just before serving.

To round out the meal, add cooked couscous and these simple maple-roasted baby carrots: toss together 3 cups baby carrots, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Arrange on a baking pan or baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Nutrition Info:
4 servings (1 and 1/2 cups), Calories 262 

Tasting Notes:
Good, although a little bland; I would use both more oregano and cumin, and perhaps a drizzle of olive oil just before serving. I actually liked the stew better served directly over couscous, instead of with the couscous on the side, turning this into more of a tagine.  Since the point was for the bell peppers to shine, I recommend doubling the amount; they get a bit lost under the flavor of the zucchini and beans.  Incidentally, this is not unlike my Chicken Chili with Pesto, which I hadn't anticipated while preparing it.

Rating:
3