Starting with the heart of the matter

Sometimes, at the very beginning is a very good place to start. Today, however, let’s just get to the heart of the matter: My husband Paul has congestive heart failure. He’s doing well for someone with such a scary diagnosis; his heart is, in fact, in better shape now than when he was diagnosed six years ago… and that’s in part because he has cut his sodium intake to under 1500 milligrams per day. That’s the equivalent of 5/8 of a teaspoon of table salt, and includes the sodium that occurs naturally in foods.

How does someone whose favorite cuisines are Asian (think shoyu and fish sauce), whose favorite snacks are salty, reduce his sodium intake to less than half of what most Americans eat? Well, to tell you would be going back, almost, to the very beginning, and we’ll do that another time.

Instead, there’s another Heart of the Matter that I want to mention: the monthly food-blogging event that promotes heart-healthy cooking and eating. For February, the theme is stews and casseroles — just the thing for cold, wet winter days. (So we’ve been having sunshine in Seattle. I’ll still eat stew.) Heart of the Matter, the creation of Joanna at Joanna’s Food and Ilva from Lucullian Delights, will be hosted this month by Michelle at The Accidental Scientist.

This sweet potato and chickpea stew is filled not only with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, but also with wonderful flavors and textures — spicy and hot, creamy, sweet and tart. It is well-seasoned, without even a pinch of salt.

Moroccan-Spiced Sweet Potato and Chickpea Stew
adapted from a couple of recipes on Epicurious (here and here)
4-6 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium leeks
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons Hungarian smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 to 2 cups homemade chicken stock, or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups roasted tomatoes (I froze some last fall), or 1 14 1/2-ounce can no-salt-added tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (garnet or jewel)
2 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 14 1/2-ounce can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained
Fresh cilantro and mint leaves for garnish

Cut roots and dark green tops off leeks. (Save them for making stock, if you wish.) Slice leeks in half vertically, wash them well, then coarsely chop them horizontally. Mince garlic cloves. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/2″ cube-ish shapes.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute, stirring frequently. Mix in paprika, coriander, cumin, ginger, turmeric, black and cayenne peppers and cinnamon. Sauté until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup stock and the tomatoes and their juice. Bring mixture to a boil, then add the sweet potatoes. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add chickpeas, and more stock if stew seems in danger of drying out. Simmer 10 minutes more, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in lemon juice. Sprinkle with cilantro and mint leaves. Serve over quinoa, couscous, or brown rice.

The sodium content for the entire recipe of this stew is approximately 580 milligrams. One quarter of the recipe — a hearty serving — has 145 milligrams sodium. A good-sized serving of quinoa or rice — unsalted, of course — has only 5 milligrams of sodium, so a satisfying serving of this stew over a grain has only about 150 milligrams of sodium.