A delicious recipe from Rouxbe Cooking School.
This recipe is very nutritious being high in fibre, a source of plant-based protein and has low glycemic index carbohydrates. It also is gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, lactose free and vegan. You can add some steamed or grilled chicken if you want to add some meat or serve it as a side dish to a main meal with your favourite source of protein & salad.
(Serves 3-4)
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, crushed or finely grated
- 1 whole lemon, juiced and the rind zested
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, well drained, finely chopped
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (if wanting to add chicken you could cut chickpeas down to 1 cup and add steamed/ cooked chicken also)
- ½ tsp chili flakes (or to taste)
- ½-1 tbsp oil (they used coconut but you can use olive or another)
- 250g fresh spinach or baby spinach (I just used 2 cups)
- 400ml lite coconut milk (to reduce the fat I used 200ml lite coconut milk & 200ml water)
- 1 tsp ground ginger sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ bunch coriander or preferred herb (to garnish)
Method
- To cook the dish, heat a large Dutch oven or deep sauté pan over low-medium heat and then add the oil, followed by the onions and a good pinch of salt. Let the onions sweat for about 10 minutes or until translucent (in this case, a bit of color is fine). Once soft, add the garlic and ginger and let cook for another minute or so. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and chilli flakes. Let cook for another minute or so.
- Next, add the 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.
- Once the chickpeas are heated through, turn the heat down slightly and start to add the spinach, a handful at a time. (could add the cooked chicken here if using) *Note: If using baby spinach you can add it as is. If you are using regular spinach, you will need to chop finely. Once the first bunch of spinach has started to wilt, add in the next handful. Continue until all of the spinach has been added.
- To finish the dish, add the coconut milk (and water if adding half and half) and bring to a simmer. Stir to combine and then add the ground ginger and a bit of the lemon juice. Taste for seasoning. Add more lemon juice, salt and/or pepper as needed. Once everything has heated through, serve immediately. The spinach will start to lose its color and it won’t look as nice. Serve it with brown rice, quinoa, Slendier rice or any grain of your choice. Garnish each plate with a healthy serving of fresh coriander or preferred herb and enjoy.
Note:
- You can add additional spices to this dish. For instance, if you are in the mood for curry flavours, try adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of curry powder or a nice masala mix. When adding spices, add them after the ginger and garlic.
- For added texture, you could also add ingredients such as water chestnuts or nuts at the end. Feel free to experiment to see what delicious combinations you come up with.
