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Moroccan Chickpea Salad

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This is a budget and speedy recipe that’s perfect for packed lunches; it makes enough for a large plate for four, or for a starter for eight.

Ingredients

For the salad

1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
2 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cucumber, finely diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 small cooked beetroot, finely diced
5 cherry tomatoes, finely diced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
3 dried apricots, finely chopped
3 dates, finely chopped

For the dressing

1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp soy sauce
Small bunch fresh coriander, torn

Method

1. Sauté the onion over a medium low heat in a nonstick pan for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more.
2. Add the 1/4 cup vegetable broth to deglaze the pan, and add the chickpeas and spices. Cook over a low heat until the liquid is evaporated (5-7 minutes). Allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
4. In a smaller bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together to combine.
5. When the chickpeas are cooled, stir through the salad ingredients. Serve with dressing.

Serving suggestion:
Beetroot hummus
Toasted seeds
Pita bread or cooked grains (e.g. rice or couscous)

Spicy chick pea and greens soup in a light tomato broth

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A simple, rich and nourishing soup with no added oil and no added sugar.

Ingredients

1T smoked paprika
1/4t dried, crushed red chili (or to taste)
1/2t dried, ground cumin
1/2t dried oregano, rubbed
1/4t dried rosemary, rubbed
1/4t dried marjoram, rubbed
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 scallions, minced (3″-4″ green reserved for garnish)
2T warm water
1T fresh garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup passata (or tomato puree)
1 ‘sprig’ dried kombu (about 1″)
1 cup cooked chick peas
1 cup shredded green cabbage (I use coleslaw mix)
1/2 cup mixed baby greens
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: Garnish with 1T nutritional yeast for some additional nutrition and flavor. Saute with 1T cooking oil in place of 2T water if you prefer. A little dulse, nori or sesame seeds would also go well with this soup.

Directions

In a medium pan with a lid, toast the paprika, cumin, and chili on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the scallions and sea salt. Stir to combine. Add the green herbs and water. Water saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.

Add the stock, kombu, chickpeas and cabbage. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the passata. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 20 – 30 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted but not mushy. Don’t overcook — use the texture of the cabbage as a guide.

When ready, remove from heat. Remove the kombu. Add the greens and stir to combine. Let cool 5 minutes and for the greens to wilt. Ladle out, garnish with scallions greens sliced on an angle and nutritional yeast if you’ll be using it, and serve.

Chickpea, potato and kale soup

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With a light tomato, herb broth, this is a rich but simple soup with lots of colour and flavour. This makes 4 small bowls or 2 good sized ones.

Ingredients

2T water
1/4t coarse sea salt
2T scallions, minced, 2″ – 3″ green reserved for garnish
1/4t black pepper, freshly cracked
1/4t dried red chilis (or to taste)
1t dried basil, rubbed
1/2t dried oregano, rubbed
1/4t dried thyme, rubbed
1T fresh garlic, minced
1 cup cooked chickpeas
3/4 cup white potatoes, 1/3″ dice
1/2T lemon juice
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup tomato passata (or puree)
2 cups green curly kale, chopped coarsely
1T nutritional yeast
Coarse sea salt, nutritional yeast, and black pepper to taste

Optional: Garnish with 2T minced fresh basil at the end (in lieu of dried at the beginning) to add flavour and colour. Add more passata for a stronger tomato flavour. A tablespoon oil for the saute in place of the water will add some richesse. Use white beans instead of chickpeas for something more traditional. About 1/3 cup dried chickpeas will yield 1 cup cooked. I usually make my chickpeas with kombu in a batch so that I always have some on-hand.

Method

Bring a medium pan with a lid to heat on medium high. Add the scallions, green herbs, chilis, black pepper, 2T water and sea salt. Water saute for 1 minute. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Add the potatoes and chickpeas and saute for another minute or so. Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Add the stock. Bring the pan to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Add the passata, cover and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the kale and stir to combine. Add the nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Let stand 1 minute for the kale to wilt. Season to taste, and ladle out. Garnish with additional nutritional yeast if you like and scallion green sliced on an angle.

Chickpea fries with creamy artichoke, kale dip

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A great dish for spring, this pairs crispy chickpea fries with a sour, oniony dip with a lot of additional flavour from the artichokes, kale, and sriracha.

Ingredients

1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2t coarse sea salt (divided)
2T millet flour
1/2T coconut sugar
1/2t black pepper, freshly cracked (divided)
3T nutritional yeast (divided)
1T fresh garlic, minced (divided)
2/3 cup hot water
3/4 cup artichoke hearts (not jarred)
1 cup green curly kale
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
4 scallions, minced, 3″ – 4″ green reserved for garnish
1 1/2T white pickling vinegar
1T sesame seed butter
1T white miso
Sriracha or similar to taste for garnish
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: Some pickled capers, black olives, or a dash smoked paprika for garnish will add flavour and colour to the dish.

Method

Mix the chickpea flour, millet flour, 1T nutritional yeast, and coconut sugar in a small bowl. Mix the water, 1/4t sea salt, and 1/2T minced garlic. Add the dry to the wet and whisk until smooth. Let stand about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Pour the batter into a 3″ x 9″ loaf pan (silicone is preferred, but use a lightly oiled metallic one if necessary). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let stand for 15 minutes to cool. Turn out carefully and slice width-wise into 1/2″ fries.

Return the oven to 450F (or the highest temperature to which your baking paper is rated). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Add the fries evenly spaced. Add the artichoke hearts and the kale. Roast for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until the fries are lightly browned and quite crispy. Turn the fries a few times. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the fries as a guide.

You’ll likely have to remove individual constituents from the oven separately and set aside as necessary. The kale should be reduced and a vibrant green, but not browning. The artichoke hearts should be lightly browned. When the artichoke hearts are done, separate them, either by tearing or mincing. Tearing is preferred. When the fries are done, remove from heat and set aside to finish the dip.

With the fries in the oven, start the rest of the dish. In a small sauce pan, bring 1 cup soy milk to a light boil. Add the scallions, 1/4t sea salt, remaining garlic, and vinegar. Simmer uncovered for 12 – 15 minutes on medium low, until reduced by 1/4 cup. Adjust the reduction process as necessary to match the cooking of the fries.

When reduced, add the sesame seed butter. Puree smooth with an immersion blender (see the notes below). Add the finished kale and the artichokes. Stir to combine. Return to heat and simmer another 2 – 3 minutes on medium while the the dip thickens and the fries finish.

When everything is ready, remove from heat. Add the white miso and remaining nutritional yeast to the dip. Stir to combine. Season the dip to taste, plate the fries and spoon the dip over top. Garnish with sriracha and scallions sliced on an angle, and serve.

Note: This isn’t a good recipe to try to separate components. The fries are prepared without oil to keep the amount of fat in the overall dish low and specifically to remain crispy in the dip. They’ll be chalky by themselves, and the coconut sugar will make them unnecessarily sweet. The acidity and moisture of the dip is also measured to complement the fries specifically.

For fries that you could eat with catsup and whatnot, leave out the millet and coconut sugar, reduce the water to 1/2 cup, and add 1/2 – 1T cooking oil (a little in the batter, a little brushed on to the cut fries). Follow the directions for the fries, but expect to adjust the baking time for the cut fries accordingly.

Also, while it’s possible that other plant milks may work with the dip, soy milk has a particular chemistry. The vinegar curdles the soy milk, which separates the water from other elements. The puree emulsifies and thickens the reduced, separated soy milk with the sesame seed butter, the garlic and other ingredients to give the dip its creamy texture and cling. Without this step, the dip will be quite watery.

Other plant milks without soy milk’s protein and stabilizers may not work as expected. If you decide to try another plant milk, you’ll likely have to thicken the dip by other means (e.g., arrowroot powder, corn starch, or tapioca flour).

Slowcooked chickpea, potato and vegetable stew

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A simple, flavourful, slowcooked stew that goes well with fresh tortilla chips (as shown here), bread, socca or other accompaniments. This makes enough for 4 medium bowls or 2 large ones.

Ingredients

1/2 cup dried chickpeas
2 cups water
1 ‘sprig’ dried kombu, about 2″
1 Italian eggplant (about 1 1/2 cups), ends trimmed, halved and sliced, 1/3″
1 medium zucchini (about 2 cups), ends trimmed, halved and sliced, 1/4″
1 large sweet onion (about 2 cups), trimmed, peeled, quartered and sliced, 1/3″
4 medium cremini mushrooms (about 1 cup), trimmed and sliced, 1/8″
1/2t coarse sea salt (or to taste)
2 cups vegetable stock
2 medium red potatoes (about 2 cups), 1/2″ dice
1 cup tomato passata (or puree)
2T fresh garlic, minced
1T smoked paprika
1/4t dried red chilis (or similar/to taste)
1T dried herbes de Provence (or similar), rubbed
2 cups flat-leaf parsley, minced (1/4 cup reserved for garnish)
1T tapioca flour dissolved in 1T cold water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: Other beans will work with this, but be mindful of differences in cooking time. Add some olives, nut butter or oil for additional richesse and flavour. You can replace the tapioca with arrowroot powder or cornstarch, but arrowroot is not as sturdy and cornstarch requires a higher temperature to thicken.

For a chunkier, brothier stew. slowcook the chickpeas until they’re soft, and add everything from the eggplant to the herbes de Provcence at the same time. The flavours won’t be as blended, but this will shorten the cooking time as a whole.

Method

Either add your chickpeas to your slowcooker and cook for about 2 hours on high to soften, or let them soak in cool water overnight in a covered bowl. Drain the water, but reserve the kombu.

Return the chickpeas to the slowcooker, add the ingredients up to and including the stock. Cook for 4 hours on low heat or until the chickpeas are soft (remove the kombu at this point).

Add the potatoes and everything else up to and including the herbes de Provence. Slow cook another 2 hours or so until the potatoes are fork tender. Increase the heat to high if necessary for your slowcooker (you know it better than I do).

When the potatoes are tender, add the parsley. Add the tapioca mixture and stir to distribute evenly. Increase heat to high and cook until the stew thickens, stirring periodically.

Once the tapioca thickens, turn off the heat. Add the nutritional yeast, and stir to combine. Let stand 5 minutes or so to cool. Season to taste. Ladle out, garnish with reserved parsley and serve.