Vegetarian Moroccan Stew

My friend, Keli, shared this scrumptious recipe with me. She found it on Allrecipes.com.  I have to say the dried apricots are the sole ingredient that convinced me to try this.....I love a recipe with a unique addition. It added a hint of sweetness and another dimension of flavor. Even though this stew is vegetarian, I don't think even the most carnivorous man will miss the meat.  Tons of flavor, loads of spices, hearty & filling- this stew has it all! Oh, and did I mention that my entire home smelled incredible as this cooked? 'Nough said - make this this week!

Here is the recipe straight from allrecipes.com (Please note this recipe made a TON!!!! If you have a big family, perfect! If you are just cooking for two, you might want to half this) :

 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon  
 1 teaspoon ground cumin  
 1 teaspoon kosher salt  
 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger  
 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves  
 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg  
 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric  
 1/8 teaspoon curry powder   
 1 tablespoon butter
 1 sweet onion, chopped
 2 cups finely shredded kale <I used spinach>
 4 (14 ounce) cans organic vegetable broth
 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained <I used fire roasted tomatoes>
 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced <I only used 2 medium>
 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced  <I only used 1 medium>
 4 large carrots, chopped <I only used 2>
 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots <I chopped these super tiny>
 1 tablespoon honey
 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
 
Combine cinnamon, cumin, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, and curry powder in a large bowl. 

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion in the butter until soft and just beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in kale and spice mixture; cook until kale begins to wilt and spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. 

Pour the vegetable broth into the pot. Stir garbanzo beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, lentils, apricots, and honey, into the broth; bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until vegetables and lentils are cooked and tender, about 30 minutes. Season stew with black pepper.