Coconut Braised Chickpeas w/Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This middle-eastern style dish is flavorful, comforting and delicious! The main ingredient, chickpeas, not only adds a nutty flavor, it is also a great source of protein. Bright colored sun-dried tomatoes supply this dish with lycopene which is important for the health of our heart. We use a whole pound of fresh spinach which is considered as a super food because it is so dense in nutrients and healthy compounds. Adding ginger and lemon zest to this dish encourages efficient digestion and adds beautiful aroma to make our taste buds dance!

Ingredients:

Hing, just a pinch

1/2 sun-dried tomatoes

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

lemon zest from one lemon

2 cups chickpeas, cooked

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 lb fresh spinach

1 - 14 oz coconut milk

1 tsp ground ginger

sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 bunch greens of your choice to garnish( cilantro, parsley, chives, green onions)

Description:

Step1 To cook the dish, heat a large Dutch oven or deep saute pan over low to medium-low heat and then add Hing. Cook hing for a few second and add the ginger and let cook for another minute or so.If ginger will stick to the bottom of cooking pan, add 2-3 tablespoons of Vegetable Broth. Add sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and chili flakes. Let cook for another minute or so.

Next, add chickpeas and stir to coat in the tomato mixture. At this point, turn up the heat slightly and sort of fry the chickpeas a bit. Keep an eye on them though so they don’t scorch. You just want them to have a little color. This should only take a few minutes.

Step2 Once the chickpeas are heated through, turn the heat down slightly and start to add the spinach, one handful at a time. Once the first bunch of spinach has started to wilt, add in the next handful. Continue until all of the spinach has beed added.

Step3 To finish the dish, add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Stir to combine and then add the ground ginger. Taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper. Once everything is heated through, serve immediately. Serve it with rice or grain of your choice, slice of lemon and Ghee. Garnish each plate with a hearty serving of fresh greens and enjoy!

Notes:

Originally ,instead of hing, this recipe was calling for onion and garlic. According to Aurveda, both these ingredients produce excessive heat in the body. Onion is tamasic in nature( makes people irritable, reactive, aggressive. Garlic is rajasic in nature( drains energy, causes disturbed sleep)

You can play with different spices. For instance, try adding 1-2 teaspoons of curry powder or masala mix. When adding spices, add them in step1 after the ginger.

Instead of Ghee use other oil with healing benefits like: Pumpkin Seeds, Amaranth or Hep Seeds oil.

This recipe inspired by VegChef Scandinavian Plant-Based Professional Culinary School