Chickpeas-powerhouses of protein and substance. I was inspired to make this dish for a class assignment in my plant-based cooking class www.rouxbe.com. I had to switch up a stewed chana masala and take it to another country. Well, it landed in Spain. The smoked paprika gives this dish its Spanish flair, along with turmeric and golden raisins-colors often found in Spanish dishes. The sweetness of the raisins balanced perfecting with the smokey flavor of the paprika. Olives would fit well in this dish too, but I didn’t add them due to the olive haters in the house (but if you love them like I do, throw 1/4-1/2 cup on in). This recipe was adapted from a Chickpea and Spanish Stew from Food and Wine Magazine.
I visited Spain with my sister back in graduate school (a few years back 😉 and always loved eating inexpensive tapas. Tapas are hors d’oeuvre. Chickpeas and spinach was my favorite tapas. This stew could be served cold as a tapas, or as a main meal, as we had it served over rice. It’s great cold too!
I cooked the chickpeas for this myself, as I prefer to do. Why make your own? It’s easy and inexpensive to make your own beans. By doing so, you decrease waste of cans, avoid exposure to BPA-lined cans, and control your sodium intake. If you are cooking your own chickpeas, soak 2 cups of chickpeas overnight. Rinse and drain. Place into a pressure cooker and cover with water. Bring to pressure, reduce to low and cook for 12 minutes. Let pressure drop and drain, reserving the liquid. If cooking in a regular pot, cover with water, bring to boil and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 1/2-2 hours until beans have softened but not fallen apart.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 4 cups cooked and drained chickpeas (or 2 cans), reserving 2 cups cooking liquid
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1-15 oz or pint of canned tomatoes
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 11 oz. fresh baby spinach
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- freshly grated nutmeg
- Pepper to taste
- Garnish: freshly chopped parsley/cilantro and crushed pistachios
Instructions:
- Cook chickpeas and drain, or drain if using canned, and reserve liquid.
- Add onions, spices, and bay leaf to hot pan, adding in a little of the tomato liquid (a few tbsp) to prevent sticking. Sauté until softened.
- Add chickpeas, tomatoes with juice, raisins and enough liquid to measure out to 2 cups.Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
- Once flavors have blended, add in spinach until it wilts. You will need to do this a few handfuls at a time.
- Squeeze in fresh lemon juice, season with salt/pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste
- Serve on top of brown rice and garnish with fresh parsley/cilantro and some chopped pistachios for some crunch. Gets even better the next day!
Nutritional Benefits:
- High in plant-based protein: great for healing and repairing the body
- High in fiber: helps to lower blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and helps to regulate blood sugar. Increases satiety
- Good source of plant-based calcium: plant-based sources of calcium are better absorbed by the body
- Vegan and oil free: this dish is cholesterol and fat free
- Gluten free: reduces inflammation
- High source of potassium: 937 mg, helps to regulate kidney and nervous function, as well as heart rate
- Packed with Vitamin A: 91%, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, skin, eye, bone, and dental health, as well as helps to regulate blood pressure
- Good source of Vitamin C: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory-helps to boost immunity
- High in plant-based source of iron, 44%: better for the body to absorb iron from plant sources.
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 4 cups cooked and drained chickpeas (or 2 cans), reserving 2 cups cooking liquid
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp ground pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1-15 oz or pint of canned tomatoes
- ⅓ cup golden raisins
- 11 oz. fresh baby spinach
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- freshly grated nutmeg
- pepper to taste
- Garnish: freshly chopped parsley/cilantro and crushed pistachios
- Cook chickpeas and drain, or drain if using canned, and reserve liquid.
- Add onions, spices, and bay leaf to hot pan, adding in a little of the tomato liquid (a few tbsp) to prevent sticking. Sauté until softened.
- Add chickpeas, tomatoes with juice, raisins and enough liquid to measure out to 2 cups. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
- Once flavors have blended, add in spinach until it wilts. You will need to do this a few handfuls at a time.
- Squeeze in fresh lemon juice, season with salt/pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste
- Serve on top of brown rice and garnish with fresh parsley/cilantro and some chopped pistachios for some crunch. Gets even better the next day!
I made the Spanish chickpea stew for dinner last night. My family loved it, and the house smelled fantastic!
So glad to hear Natasha! I love those warming smells-perfect for this cold weather!