Coconut Braised Chickpeas w/ Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Chickpeas, fresh spinach and sun-dried tomatoes are slowly simmered with garlic, ginger, lemon and coconut milk. The result is one highly-flavorful and satisfying dish ~ Squeal! Here is what you ‘ll need and how to do it!

WHAT:

1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp fresh ginger
1 whole lemon
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes*
2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 – 15 oz can)
1/2 tsp chili flakes (or to taste)
1 tbsp coconut oil**

1/2 lb fresh spinach*

1 – 14 oz can coconut milk
1 tsp ground ginger
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 bunch cilantro (to garnish)

HOW:

To prepare, first dice the onion and mince the garlic and ginger. Next, zest the lemon. Juice the lemon and set aside for later. Measure out the sun-dried tomatoes. *Note: If using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, make sure to drain them first.
Drain (if using canned) and rinse, then measure out the chickpeas. Gather the chili flakes and coconut oil. **Note: If desired, replace the oil and cook the onions with a bit of vegetable stock or water.
To cook the dish, heat a large/deep sauté pan over 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. Once soft, add the garlic and ginger and let cook for another minute or so. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and chili 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. Once the first bunch of spinach has started to wilt, add in the next handful. Continue until all of the spinach has been added.
*Note: If using baby spinach you can add it as is. If you are using regular spinach, you will need to chop or tear it up a bit.                                                                                                                           To finish the meal, add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Stir to combine and then add the ground ginger and some of the reserved 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 green. Serve it with brown rice or any grain of your choice. Garnish each plate with a healthy serving of fresh cilantro and enjoy!

I can’t get enough of this one! Its full of flavor, has great presentation,  and actually quite simple to make! Enjoy! Oink!