Iranian Eggplant and Chickpeas Stew
[Vegan, Gluten-Free]

To Roast the Cashews:

1. If roasting the cashews, preheat the oven to 350º F. Stir. Place in oven for 5 minutes. Stir. Place in oven for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven.

To Make the Coconut-Almond Sauce:

1. Gently fry the onion in the coconut oil until soft.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and fry very gently. (Make sure the onion and garlic don't brown as this will ruin the color of the sauce)
3. Add the spices and stir into the onion mixture.
4. Add the coconut milk, water, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
5. Take cashews out of the oven and stir. Place back into oven for 3 minutes.
6. Take sauce off heat and remove cinnamon stick.
7. Add ground almonds, lime/lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of salt.
8. Let cool. (You will be blending this sauce later, but first you must allow the sauce to cool otherwise it will explode the top of the blender off and you will have a coconut-almond sauce painted kitchen.)

To Make the Stew:

1.  Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil.
2. Fry onion until translucent. Add the garlic and stir-fry for a couple minutes.
3. Add the green pepper and orange juice, stir well. Fry until the pepper is soft.
4. Transfer the mixture to a large pot and add cooked chickpeas, chopped apricots, chopped dates, diced tomatoes. tomato ketchup, chopped eggplant, lemon juice, coriander (reserve some coriander for the garnish), salt and lots of black pepper. Mix well.
5. Cover with lid and, stirring occasionally, simmer for 20 minutes or until eggplant is soft.
6. Blend the sauce that you let cool until smooth.
7. Top with the coconut-almond sauce, roasted/toasted cashews, and leftover coriander. Serve with couscous, rice, or quinoa.