Cooking Challenge: Chickpeas

I'm going to make lamb tagine, its one of my favourites and is fab in the slow cooker. Will post the recipe later when I get home from work.

NAME OF RECIPE: Chickpeas and Greens with Moroccan Spices (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison, p. 309)

INGREDIENTS:
1 large bunch chard, stems removed
3 cups cooked chickpeas, or 2 15oz cans, rinsed
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Salt
2 tsp Sweet Paprika
1 tsp Whole Black Peppercorns
1.5 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp Parsley, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced into 1/2-inch squares
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 small dried red chile (i used 1 tsp red pepper flakes)
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
optional: 1 preserved lemon, diced into 1/4 inch pieces (I omitted)

DIRECTIONS:
Boil or steam the greens until wilted, then chop coarsely and set aside. Cover the chickpeas with cold water and gently rub them between your hands to loosen the skins. Tip the bowl so that the skins flow off. Drain.

Pound the garlic in a mortar with 1/2 tsp of salt until smooth, or mince it with a knife. Add the dried spices, 1 tsp oil to moisten the mixture, and 2 Tbsp of the cilantro and the parsley. Pound until a rough paste is formed.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, pepper, thyme, and dried chile. Cook for 7 minutes, then stir in the garlic paste, chickpeas, and 1/2 cup water or bean broth. When the onion is soft, add the tomatoes, greens, 1/2 tsp salt, and another 1/2 cup water. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining cilantro and the lemon and serve. (Note: serve with couscous, rice, or barley)

CALORIES PER SERVING: 309

HOW MANY IT SERVES: 4

OPINIONS ON HOW IT TASTED, ETC:
This actually turned out much better than I expected (not being a fan of whole chickpeas). Very flavorful and filling. Despite the long list of ingredients, and lack of a mortar and pestle, it was quite easy to make - it took a mere 1/2 hour start to finish. Next time, I would grind the pepper before I try to mash it with my spoon - didn't work too well and I ended up with whole peppercorns throughout the dish - surprising to bite into. I served it along couscous. My husband really liked it a lot, and I'm looking forward to left overs for lunch today - especially since the recipe indicates that it gets better the second day.

I will try to post a picture if I am able to take a good one today.

Sookha Chana (or Chana Masala) - Recipe was derived from Sookha Kala Chana on About.com, but modified to my taste and using regular chick peas instead of black ones (which I can't seem to find anywhere - do these have another name?). I used 1/3 of the oil recommended and opted to throw all my veg through a food processor to make more of a gravy than a chunky stew. I also used garam masala in lieu of the red chilli and mango powders - didn't have either of these on hand.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp cumin seeds (I used more, to taste)
2 green chillies slit lengthwise
1 inch piece fresh grated ginger
3-5 cloves garlic
1 large onion chopped fine
2 tsps coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1- 540mL can chick peas, drained
2 medium tomatoes, processed
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves
Juice of 1/2 a lime or lemon

Pretty simple recipe. I started by rough chopping the garlic, ginger and onions and mincing them in a food processor for a minute. Set this aside and did the same with the tomatoes. Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium heat and add cumin seeds. Cook until they 'splutter'. Add the green chillies and cook until they stop spluttering, another 2-3 minutes. Now add the ginger, garlic and onion and cook until soft. Add coriander, cumin and tumeric and mix. Cook until fragrant. Add the chick peas, tomatoes and about 1/2 cup water (or less**). Stir well and lower the heat to medium-low. Let this simmer for 15-20 mins, or until it thickens a bit. Add garam masala and chopped cilantro. Garnish with lime juice before serving.

Serves 3 main, 6 side dishes.

I had mine topped with low fat sour cream and a 12 grain tortilla.

** I added about 3/4 cup of water to this recipe, although it originally called for none. Many recipes online for Chana Masala advise to use water to make a gravy. I would add less water than I did next time around.

I would also include some red chili powder next time to increase the heat. It wasn't spicy at all - very flavourful, but no heat. I think I'll try adding spinach near the end as well, to bump up the veg content and make it a bit more substantial. Overall, a good dish and easy to make.

For 1/3 of the recipe:
Calories 237
Carbs 37
Fat 8
Protein 10
Fiber 10
Sodium 388

Very low cal, high protein and high fiber for a decent sized serving. Good fats too! Will certainly make this again.
Cheers :bigsmile:
Meag

Here is the recipe, you can substitute apricots for the squash which is really tasty

I don't have a tagine, I just cook it in my slow cooker adding the couscous later or do it in a deep pan like a wok and cook it on low. Its one of my favourite recipes and quite low cal.


Lamb and Butternut Squash Tagine

Serves 6-8
Ready in 2 hours 5 minutes


Ingredients
800g leg of lamb, cut into 3cm pieces
1 and a 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 and a 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 good pinches of saffron
410g tin chickpeas, drained
450ml lamb stock
400g tin plum tomatoes
200g couscous
30g sunflower seeds
2 handfuls of roughly chopped coriander
A handful of roughly chopped mint
550g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2.5cm chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nutritional Information
Per serving:
371 calories
Method: How to cook lamb and butternut squash tagine
1. Brown the lamb in batches in a large, deep non-stick frying pan over a high heat with a tablespoon of the oil.

2. Add a bit of water to the saucepan to deglaze the pan between frying each batch (this little liquid adds even more flavour to the final dish). Set aside.

Sal's Tips
1. Instead of butternut squash, you could add 100g dried apricots or prunes.

2. Try mixing some shredded mint with 0% fat Greek yoghurt and a little water to make a mint sauce to drizzle over your tagine.
3. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the onion over a medium heat for five minutes until slightly golden, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the garlic, cinnamon, cumin seeds, ginger and saffron and stir over the heat for 30 seconds to release the aromas of the spices.

5. Add the meat back into the onion with the chickpeas, stock and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for one hour.

6. Meanwhile, put the couscous into a large bowl.

7. Add the sunflower seeds and a third of the herbs and cover with 200ml cold water. Set aside for the water to be absorbed.

8. After one hour, add the butternut squash and the remaining herbs, apart from about a tablespoon, to the tagine and cook for a further 15 minutes, uncovered.

9. After the 15 minutes has passed, season the tagine well.

10. Fork through the couscous to separate the grains and spread evenly over the top of the tagine. Cover and simmer for a further 15 minutes.

11. Serve immediately, ensuring there's some lamb and couscous in each spoonful and also a sprinkling of the remaining herbs.

Just found a recipe for Pumpkin, Banana and Chick Pea Curry - Wish I had the time to make it! Unfortunately all our meals for the next few days are accounted for, given some restrained time schedules and a family member that cannot eat chick peas at all (due to medical reasons). Darn!
Recipe can be found here: http://www.ivu.org/recipes/indian-veg/pumpkin.html

picked up some chickpeas today and am going to try a chickpea noodle and dumpling soup tomorrow

okay im not gonna enter the recipe b/c quite frankly, its very meh. nothing special nothing great and it didnt even look good so no lol. I got the recipe from 101 cookbooks and altered it to use ingredients i had and FAILED but if you wanna try to make it the way they specified just search chickpea noodle soup