Hmm, Friday night, again, and nothing planned for dinner, again. Instead of ordering take-out Chinese food, why not spend a few minutes more making a dinner that’s not only quick, easy, and inexpensive, but is also delicious AND nutritious!
My recommendation – Curried Chickpeas, with rice and steamed broccoli.
In a previous article, I introduced you to the nutritional benefits of black beans. This week, the nutritional powerhouse of choice is – ginger!
Ginger is well known as a digestive aid, helping to minimize or prevent nausea (useful for women suffering from morning sickness, or scuba divers who really wish the boat would stop rocking), but its significant health benefits are found in its strong anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger consumption has been scientifically linked to reduction in arthritis pain and improvement in mobility, boosting the immune system, and protecting against both colo-rectal and ovarian cancers.
Ginger also adds the most amazing flavor to many recipes, including this recipe for Curried Chickpeas. Don’t skimp on the ginger, or try to use dried, powdered ginger – buy some fresh ginger at any grocery store, and enjoy it! Serve with steamed broccoli and rice, or consider trying another grain, like quinoa.
Curried Chickpeas recipe (serves 4)
you need:
540ml can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp cinnamon
6 whole cloves (if you don’t have whole cloves, you can use 1/2 tsp ground cloves)
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground cumin
796ml can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
instructions:
– heat oil in frying pan, add onion and garlic and fry on medium heat until slightly browned; add ginger, cinnamon, cloves, chillies, and cumin and fry another few minutes
– add tomatoes and chickpeas, and fry on medium-low heat until the liquid is mostly boiled off (25 minutes)
– sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice and steamed broccoli
Nutritional breakdown [from NutritionData.com]
This dish is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron and Copper, and a very good source of Manganese.
– glycemic load ~22 (low – that’s good!)
– inflammation factor ~499 (very high – that’s good too!)
– calories 300
– fat 6 grams
– protein 12 grams
– dietary fiber 12 grams
– Vitamin A 29% DV
– Vitamin C 46% DV
– Thiamin 15% DV
– Vitamin B6 55% DV
– Folate 33% DV
– Calcium 16% DV
– Iron 33% DV
– Magnesium 24% DV
– Phosphorus 22% DV
– Potassium 27% DV
– Zinc 16% DV
– Copper 34% DV
– Manganese 95% DV
– Phytosterols ~15mg
Note: don’t think that your children won’t like this, just because it’s different from what you normally eat. My kids have eagerly downed buckets of curried chickpeas over the years, with never a complaint. And they used to fight over who got the last broccoli spear. OK – maybe they’re a little unusual. Still, try it out – it really IS delicious!
Beware if you make this recipe and don’t have whole cloves. The conversion given is 1 Tbsp ground cloves for 6 cloves. Knowing that sounded like a lot of ground cloves, I scaled it down to 2 tsp, but the result was still overpowering… enough to cure all your future toothaches! The conversion I found online is 1/4 ground cloves equals 3 whole cloves.
I’m so sorry about that! When I made the recipe the first time, I actually ground the cloves myself (mortar and pestle) which gives a very coarse grind, and probably made about half a tablespoon (my mistake). But the ground cloves that you buy are very finely ground, and much more powerful – you’re right that half a teaspoon might be enough.
My recommendation – use whole cloves if at all possible.
Yumm! It’s been a while since I made this, so tonight I made a huge batch (recommendation – add a bunch of whole cardamom pods as well as the whole cloves!) – and I added a roasted cauliflower to it (chopped, stirred in). Nice addition. And I served it with a fantastic rice dish (rice, onion, apple, raisins, curry powder, and chopped cashews) which is quick and easy to make but seems to make every meal seem a little more special.