Persian Eggplant Stew with Edamame Dill Pilaf

The weather people said all week that it was finally going to get coldish today, so although I found them hard to believe, I put this warm & hearty fall-like menu on the schedule.  Amazingly, they were right!  It was 83 yesterday and 53 today.  FINALLY.

This stew and pilaf are both from World Vegan Feast, a cookbook I tend to avoid because so many of the recipes seem like they'll take forever.  The pilaf was super quick to put together, once I cooked the rice, but the stew did sort of take forever.  It wasn't active time, but it had to simmer for 45 minutes and then bake for another 45, which means it is strictly a weekend recipe.  It was really good, though - chickpeas and tomatoes simmered with quartered limes (which made me feel fancy somehow) and then poured over roasted eggplant for baking.

The pairing seemed weird in my head - limey tomato and chickpeas + strongly dill-flavored rice - but it worked very well.  I do like everything I've made from World Vegan Feast and I know I need to give it a closer eye for recipes that can be made during the week.