Chickpeapalooza!

Hey Friends and Neighbors.

It’s been a while, eh? I’ve been super swamped with work (and also I was on vacation on London for 2 weeks, during which, I made a conscious effort not to do any work, including writing this.)

So, listen.  Did you know that I’ve been writing this blog for almost a year now?

Well, it’s been like 8 months. But that’s longer than I’ve ever committed to anything!

Many things have changed since the beginning.  I’ve changed. Hopefully, I’ve helped you change a little too.

Not big changes, mind you. Change doesn’t have to be monumental and accompanied by trumpets and a choir of angels. Last year, I didn’t know how to grocery shop. I mean, I knew how to spend a boatload of money, waste food and cook stuff that wasn’t necessarily very healthy. I knew how to do that stuff.  Since I’ve been writing this, my life has sort of modified itself bit by bit. I’m more active, I learned pages and pages of new recipes and I picked up some crafty skills.  It wasn’t hard. I just made small bits of effort over a long period of time.  And then, Magic!

For example:

My dad and I were talking about how unhealthy red meat can be if you overeat it.  I realized that I haven’t had a steak in about… well….

a year?

more?

I made beef stew about 6 months ago for a dinner party.

When I thought about it, I haven’t eaten much meat since I started paying attention to how much things cost and how healthy they are.  I don’t really bother with chicken very often and when I do, I tend to roast the whole chicken and use all the bits.  I had a turkey at Christmas.  Fish? Never.

I just don’t bother.

And why should I?  I know how to cook so many things with Tofu.

Don’t get me started on beans.

So, I was craving indian food last week.  Rather than blow $12 on lamb saag from the restaurant across the street, I got a mega-sized tin of chickpeas, some frozen spinach and a little yogurt.

Then I added the magic fairy dust of… cooking …magic.

Are you intrigued yet?

So, collect these items: a big tin or 2 15 oz tins of chickpeas, a couple of medium potatoes, a rectangle of frozen spinach, an onion, 2 C water, 3 Tablespoons of ketchup, curry powder, oil, a lemon, plain greek yogurt and some fresh cilantro.  Trust. It’s going to be awesome.

Step 1: Chop the onion and potato into little cubes. Then into the pan with some oil and crank the heat to medium.  Let that cook for about 10 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften up.  Throw in the frozen spinach and let it

Dear Diary: Jackpot.

cook until you can break it up.

Step 2: Add the chickpeas, a couple tablespoons of curry powder, the water and ketchup. Stir until it’s all combined.  Put the heat up to high until the pan boils, then put the lid on the pan and simmer at medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Cook at medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes.

By now, your house is going to smell pretty divine and it’s not even on your plate yet.

To serve this to yourself, cook up a little quinoa or jasmine rice or something.  Cut a lemon into wedges. Stir the yogurt. Chop the cilantro. You’ll wind up with something a little like this:

So listen, give this a shot. It’s delicious, affordable and pretty on a plate, like all the food I cook.  Also, eating more vegetables and legumes is good for you.  And Quinoa? Google it. It’s kind of the best food ever.

Cheers, y’all.