Afghan Inspired Chickpeas

Life has been so busy lately that TFAW have been posting far more reviews than recipes.  We both love to eat out, but we also love to cook for ourselves at home. Cooking at home means you know exactly what goes into your food and can alter to your personal tastes. Unless of course, you’re like Miss Yunks and estimate all measurements and throw in ingredients on a whim.

I was inspired by Emily’s Afghani inspired chickpeas and squash dish and decided to make a similar chickpeas dish.  I didn’t have any squash though, and I didn’t use any rice.  I replaced the spinach she used with kale and twisted the dish a bit to make it vegetarian.

Here’s what I used:

1 can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
2 T Olive Oil
1/2 an Onion, diced
about 1-2 tsp each of Cinnamon, Cardamom,  freshly grated Ginger, chopped Garlic, Cumin
about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk
a few handfuls of Kale, torn into bite sized pieces.
Salt to taste

Here’s what I did:

Heat olive oil in medium sized pan and saute onions until almost translucent.  Add the rinsed chickpeas and move around pan until they get slightly browned and crispy.  Add in the spices and mix around.  When the chickpeas are almost browned and crisped to your liking, add in the kale.  The mixture will look dry, so add in the vanilla almond milk.  You can use any milk you have, but I had vanilla almond milk so I decided to try it.  Continue to saute until kale is limp and bright green.  Transfer to bowl, serve, and enjoy!

I prepared this dish at my parents’ house a few weeks ago.  My dad didn’t want to try this healthy-looking dish but he always gets me to try new foods so I convinced him to try it.  Not surprisingly to me, he liked it!  He shouldn’t have been so surprised either because we’ve enjoyed a few meals at the Afghan restaurant in Cambridge, The Helmand.  This is a tasty high protein and fiber dish that’s easy to prepare and quite comforting on a cold winter night.  The vanilla almond milk added a slight sweetness.  It can work as a main dish or a side dish.

What’s a healthy meal you’ve prepared lately?

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5 Comments

  1. Michelle
    Posted April 7, 2011 at 11:14 AM | Permalink

    I totally flagged this recipe when it was on Emily’s blog and I love your version too! I’m a big fan of chickpeas and love recipes that highlight how versatile chickpeas are!

  2. A Cambridge Story
    Posted April 7, 2011 at 11:31 AM | Permalink

    So glad you tried this and that it worked out (for you and your dad)! Great idea adding kale and vanilla almond milk!

  3. Michelle
    Posted April 7, 2011 at 12:21 PM | Permalink

    This looks great, and I definitely don’t get enough kale in my life – I’m saving this recipe!

  4. Daisy
    Posted April 8, 2011 at 11:49 AM | Permalink

    These look so good! I have prepared NO healthy meals lately. seriously I eat out way to much.

  5. Joanne
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 7:34 AM | Permalink

    Now this is a dish that I would absolutely fall in LOVE with! Simple and yet full of my favorite spices…and some gorgeous leafy greens!

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