gingery chickpeas with carrots: unbelievably delicious! |

Name: Gingery Chickpeas with Carrots: Wholesome, Yummy, Healthy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3 h 20 min
Total time: 3 h 40 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 2 cups dry chickpeas, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained; 3 large garlic cloves; 1 organic bay leaf; parsley stems from bunch of parsley, tied with a natural kitchen twine; ⅓ cup organic olive oil; 7 medium carrots, peeled and diced in 0.25-inch squares. For perfect instantaneous dicing, I use Breville Sous Chef Peel & Dice Countertop Food Processor.; 2 yellow onions, diced in 0.25-inch squares; 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped. For perfect instantaneous chopping, I use Breville Sous Chef Peel & Dice Countertop Food Processor.; 25 oz tomato sauce. I recommend Rao's tomato sauce; 2 inch piece of ginger root, finely diced; 1 tbsp finely grated or chopped lemon zest; freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

DifficultyBeginner

Vegan • Low glycemic • Flavorful • Easy • Nutrient-dense • Sugar-free • Delicious

Gingery chickpeas with carrots, vegan, vegetarian, tomato sauce, lemon zest, by foodjoya

Gingery chickpeas and carrots are spectacular! Just imagine chickpeas soaked in a nectar of tomato sauce with carrots, ginger, parsley, and caramelized onions. All sugar-free, of course! This healthy treat is a perfect combination of warm flavors: carrots + ginger, chickpeas + tomatoes, parsley + lemon zest. And though ingredients are few, the dish is richly flavorful, but not spicy. Ginger and lemon zest add just the right amount of flare, without overtaking. This delight is neither sour nor sweet - perfect to the last bite.

This plant-based delight also shows how versatile garbanzo beans are. For most of us, they usually mean hummus. In reality, you can cook them with anything. They combine well with a whole medley of spices and herbs and vegetables. In my previous posts, for example, I combined chickpeas with butternut squash and eggplant mash -- and the dishes were delicious! Another example is FoodNetwork's Moroccan chickpea soup when made without sugar, of course.

Thinking back to that soup recipe, I decided to combine this wonderful legume with tomato sauce. Tomatoes, of course, are quite acidic. To reduce their acidity, I included plenty of carrots and a generous amount of ginger. Inspired by chef chef Michael Chiarello's recipe, I added lemon finely grated zest and chopped parsley. The result is the recipe below, and it's glamorous! Indeed, Gingery Chickpeas and Carrots are more than yummy. They are neither acidic nor sweet - just a perfect combination of flavors, with a ginger and lemon zest flare.

Lastly, note that, again, I recommend changing water when you cook beans. This step helps make them easier to digest.

Yields10 Servings

Prep Time20 minsCook Time3 hrs 20 minsTotal Time3 hrs 40 mins

For the Chickpeas:

2 cups dry chickpeas, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained

3 large garlic cloves

1 organic bay leaf

parsley stems from bunch of parsley, tied with a natural kitchen twine

For the Sauce:

⅓ cup organic olive oil

7 medium carrots, peeled and diced in 0.25-inch squares. For perfect instantaneous dicing, I use Breville Sous Chef Peel & Dice Countertop Food Processor.

2 yellow onions, diced in 0.25-inch squares

1 bunch parsley, finely chopped. For perfect instantaneous chopping, I use Breville Sous Chef Peel & Dice Countertop Food Processor.

25 oz tomato sauce. I recommend Rao's tomato sauce

2 inch piece of ginger root, finely diced

1 tbsp finely grated or chopped lemon zest

freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

What to Do:

Rinse and drain chickpeas. Then transfer to a large a 5.5-quart saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil, skim foam and simmer for about 1 hour.

Next, drain and rinse chickpeas again. (I recommend this step to make chickpeas easier to digest.) Cover with water, add garlic, organic bay leaf and parsley stems and simmer until chickpeas are soft, for about 1.5 hours.

Once the chickpeas are soft, drain and discard bay leaf, parsley stems and garlic cloves.

Make the Sauce:

Meanwhile, in a large pan, warm up organic olive oil on medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Add onion and stir. Then cover and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring. Add carrots and ginger and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir periodically.

Next, add tomato sauce. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 25 minutes, periodically stirring. Add zest and parsley and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. *Note: longer simmering brings out natural sweetness in tomatoes.

Combine:

Next, add the sauce to chickpeas and add 3 tablespoons of water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then cover and continue cooking together on moderate heat for about 15 minutes. Again, be sure to stir. If needed, add more water.

Enjoy Gingery Chickpeas with Carrots warm as a plant-based meal or a healthy, hearty side.

Ingredients