Good Vegetarians Gone Bad!

Okay Okay, so I'm not a vegetarian but if I were, PETA would revoke my status after seeing this photo. 12 Ribs plus 1 Tricia = Bliss. Although they were good, I must admit the two best places in the world to get ribs are at a little restaurant outside La Coruna, Spain and Chef Webb's ribs at Guilford Bistro in Indy.

School is trudging on and I'm spending 3-8 hours daily in lecture which could easily lead to a little extra "junk in my trunk." Therefore, I have decided to cut back on my typical 3000 calories per day.

In my preparation for eating like a normal human instead of a canteen full of Marines, I have done some research on natural appetite suppressants. Since I can't get my hands on Peruvian coca leaves, I have decided to try cinnamon. Surprisingly it works but not in the long-term. I put about a teaspoon on my cereal in the morning and that actually keeps my stomach from growling until around 10am. I've also been cooking a little bit more savory cinnamon dinner dishes which keeps me from late night snacking too! Here's one of my favorite Moroccan-style Vegan dishes.

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves minced or pressed garlic
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes in their juice
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 zucchini, chopped
1 (19 oz.) can cooked chickpeas
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion to pan and stir. Sauté for several minutes, then add garlic.
Add diced tomatoes, bell pepper, zucchini, and chickpeas to the pan. Add spices.
Simmer the stew about 20 minutes, covered. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on a bed of couscous.