In the spirit of relying on pantry items to get dinner on the table, I think you all will really, really love this recipe for spicy chickpeas with tomatoes and greens from Jenny Rosenstrach’s latest book, The Weekday Vegetarians. In the intro to the recipe Jenny writes: “This meal is a revelation because it’s healthy, crazy flavorful, … and made almost entirely from canned pantry staples that you probably always have on hand. We call this “can-to-table” cooking in our house — you heard it here first!” Made me laugh! Let’s get straight to it: this will be your prep on spicy chickpeas with tomatoes and kale night:
dice half an onionmince a clove of garlicmince a knob of ginger (I’ve been throwing this along with the ginger into the food processor.)roughly chopping some kale
The rest of the prep is a matter of measuring things and throwing them into the skillet. Did I mention this is a one-pan-wonder? It is! And this is definitely a recipe you can prep as you go, so long as you have your aromatics — your garlic, onions, and ginger — minced at the start.
As noted above, Jenny’s recipe relies on pantry items — canned chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and coconut milk — and I have used all of these items and loved it, but the beauty of this recipe right now, in this bridge season between summer and fall, when we’re all excited about butternut squash and Brussels sprouts but the tomatoes are still abounding, is that you can use as much as a pound of fresh tomatoes in this recipe in place of the can… only if you wish!
Friends, I am so excited about this recipe for a few reasons, namely, it is very simple and tasty, but also because it (without the kale) reminds me of the chana masala from my favorite local Indian restaurant, a dish I have been meaning to take a stab at for years but have been too intimidated to do so for whatever reason.
Also and moreover: half of my children love this! Like gobble-it-up love it. Like can’t-handle-the-smells-when-it’s-cooking love it. Like request-it-when-I-haven’t-made-it-in-a-few-days love it. This is the best feeling.
A Few Notes:
I’ve been making this with these slow cooker chickpeas, which couldn’t be simpler, and which are so tasty. If you don’t have a slow cooker and want to cook the chickpeas from scratch, here’s my guide. Of course, canned chickpeas are fine. I like the Goya brand.The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup of coconut milk. It also suggests serving it with rice, so I have been making this coconut rice to serve along side. The coconut rice calls for 3/4 cup coconut milk, and so I have been reserving this amount for the rice and then using the rest of the can for the chickpeas. The extra coconut milk makes the dish a little richer, I suppose, but it certainly does not taste too rich or sweet. Finally, the original recipe calls for stirring 1/4 cup of warm water into a teaspoon of miso and stirring this in at the end. If you have miso on hand, go for it! If you don’t, don’t run out and get it. The dish is plenty flavorful without it, especially if you add a splash more coconut milk, as noted above.
The Weekday Vegetarians
I’m really loving The Weekday Vegetarians. As you all know, I am not a vegetarian, but I do love vegetarian cooking, and to be frank, I’ve been relying on more meat than I care to admit to get dinner on the table of late. This book has been just the inspiration I needed to get back on track. Here are a few recipes I am excited to make:
Cauliflower Cutlets with Romesco SauceHerby, Brothy Lima BeansCrunchy-Cheesy Bean BakeRoasted Eggplant and Tomatoes with Miso-Tahini Sauce
Friends, do you have this book? If so, have you discovered any gems?
If You Love These Chickpeas, You’ll Also Love:
Curried Lentils with Kale and Coconu MilkCarrot-Ginger Soup with Curry and Coconut MilkCurried Chickpea and Lentil SoupCurried Chickpeas with Cauliflower and Coconut Milk
How to Make Spicy Chickpeas with Tomatoes & Kale, Step by Step
First, gather your ingredients. Then, sauté the diced onion, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a couple of tablespoons of oil. Add curry powder and toast for a few minutes. Then add a tablespoon of tomato paste and toast for another minute. Add the chickpeas and stir until they are coated in the spices. Pour in water or vegetable stock along with a can of diced tomatoes (or a pound of fresh tomatoes if you still have some on hand). Simmer for ten minutes or so, then stir in a heap of kale. Finally, add coconut milk and, if you wish, a miso-water “slurry” (see notes in the recipe box). 4.9 from 31 reviews
A few notes:
I’ve been making this with these slow cooker chickpeas, which couldn’t be simpler, and which are so tasty. If you don’t have a slow cooker and want to cook the chickpeas from scratch, here’s my guide. Of course, canned chickpeas are fine. I like the Goya brand. The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup of coconut milk. It also suggests serving it with rice, so I have been making this coconut rice to serve along side. The coconut rice calls for 3/4 cup coconut milk, and so I have been reserving this amount for the rice and then using the rest of the can for the chickpeas. The extra coconut milk makes the dish a little richer, I suppose, but it certainly does not taste too rich or sweet. Finally, the original recipe calls for stirring 1/4 cup of warm water into a teaspoon of miso and stirring this in at the end. If you have miso on hand, go for it! If you don’t, don’t run out and get it. The dish is plenty flavorful without it, especially if you add a splash more coconut milk, as noted above.
