Heart healthy recipe: Spiced-up chickpea stew

Published January 28, 2020

Published

Canned chickpeas spilling out onto a table.

All the spices and vegetables in this recipe are naturally sodium free and add excellent flavor. Using soy milk and chickpeas as the protein sources also lowers the amount of saturated fat it contains.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 (2 inch) piece ginger, finely chopped
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric, plus more for serving
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans reduced sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups soy milk
  • 2 cups reduced sodium vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard, kale or collard greens, stems removed, torn into bite size pieces
  • 1 cup mint leaves (For serving)
  • Yogurt (For serving)
  • Toasted pita, lavash or other flatbread (For serving)

Instructions:

  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little around the edges, three to five minutes.
  2. Add turmeric, red pepper flakes and chickpeas, and season with pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they have started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, eight to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
  3. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides (this will help thicken the stew). Add soy milk and stock to the pot, and season with pepper. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened and flavors have started to come together, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to taste as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you have reached your desired consistency. Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey! 
  4. Add greens and stir until submerged in the liquid. Cook a few minutes so they wilt and soften, three to seven minutes, depending on what you are using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.
  5. Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you would like.