When my husband announced several coworkers had insisted that going off meat cured their arthritis, he was determined to give it a try. Then a cousin who found herself suddenly between apartments moved in with us. You guessed it – she’s vegetarian.

I don’t have anything against going meatless from time to time. But lately I’m feeling a bit lost, as a complete veer toward vegan territory requires navigating the kitchen by a whole new map.

When Alicia heard about my plight, she shared this incredibly healthy recipe for Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew, which we printed in a recent Desperation Dinners newspaper column. Our readers just loved it.

Here are some of their comments:

"Fell in love at first bite with your Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew," said Sharon Simmons of Toledo, Ohio. "Thank you, thank you for a culinary treat I will enjoy often!

Here's a tweak on the recipe from Betsy Kreidler of Findlay, Ohio, who called it a wonderful basis for personal "tinkering."

 "I included all your ingredients, minus one cup of water, and added a half teaspoon of turmeric plus a teaspoon of garam masala, two chicken bouillon cubes and a tablespoon of natural peanut butter," Betsy said. "As a serving garnish, I sprinkled grated coconut. If I'd had cilantro, that would have been used, also. It was delicious and quite filling. Thanks so much for the idea! We love your column and book."

Elaine Lynch of Fort Smith, Arkansas, also had a suggestion:

"Thank you for this delicious vegan recipe," Elaine said. "It was in the paper this morning, and by noon I had a pot of double the recipe made.

" Next time I will probably add a little instant brown rice to thicken the juicy juice, but the flavor is great and I will definitely make it again. I am always happy to see vegan dishes."

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and ideas! If you make the recipe and have ideas and suggestions, you can leave them in the "comments" section following the recipe. We can't wait to see what you do with it!