So basically these last few weeks have been a hey-my-husband-is-finally-home-from-his-deployment-so-let’s-celebrate-and-go-out-to-eat-every-three-seconds type of situation. We haven’t been eating super badly (with the exception of a few several meals), but it definitely hasn’t been kale salad and protein shakes over here.
We went to Topeka with my sister-in-law and niece yesterday, so we ate at a mall’s food court for lunch, and we were super tired when we got home so we just ordered a pizza for dinner. By the end of the night, I was thinking, aaaalllllright, we have been in vacation eat-whatever-we-want mode for long enough. Time to get our act together, brah.
Seth gets to come home for lunch every day (which is awesome – huge perk of living on base), and we haven’t gone grocery shopping for the week yet, so I kind of had to scrounge around our fridge and pantry to find something healthy to make for lunch. So this post wasn’t even supposed to be a post. This was supposed to be a quick, easy, and healthy fridge/pantry cleaner lunch before our grocery trip.
BUT as I was making it, I was like…daaaang, girl. This tastes BALLIINNNN. Posting it. Isn’t it so fun to come up with random recipes using the items you already have in your fridge and pantry? It makes me feel so accomplished and non-wasteful (probs could’ve thought of a better word).
So, these stewed chickpeas. They are thick, hearty, rich/complex in flavor, and wonderful for you. The way I suggest eating them? Over some sort of healthy grain – brown rice, quinoa, etc…We used brown rice and it was SUPA yummy. You can stop right there and eat it just like that, or you can add some optional toppings. Like avocado and Greek yogurt (don’t use the Greek yogurt if you want to keep this vegan).
Stir it all together and experience the creamy bowl of hearty wonderfulness that are these stewed chickpeas. You will be in love. You know how I have said like a BILLION times that I love it when healthy food tastes unhealthy? Thiiiiissssss. It tastes like straight up comfort food.
You may be thinking by the title and pictures that this is basically vegetarian chili. False. It is different from chili despite the fact that it uses some of the same ingredients and flavor profiles. It is richer and thicker than chili, and it doesn’t sit over the stove and simmer for an hour, because it’s ☀️?haatttttt?☀️ in Kansas right now, and I can’t make anything that is on the stove for more than half an hour.
Especially since our AC needs a little tender loving care to stay below eighty degrees…i.e. not bringing any extra heat into the house.
The two big factors that make these stewed chickpeas different than chili:
- The consistency. Chili is like a thick soup or stew. These chickpeas are not soup like whatsoever…don’t let the word “stew” in the title throw you off. “Stewed” just means that something cooked in a liquid. The liquid in this recipe is a rich and flavorful combination of crushed tomatoes, green chilis, and veggie stock.
- The grain. Chili traditionally doesn’t contain any grain, and when it does, the grain amount is small in proportion to the chili. In this recipe, the grain is more predominate, which makes the final dish hearty and filling ?.
Right before I started making this recipe, we had a bit of a scare in the Chesson household. The phrase “a bit” is a massive understatement.
I was cleaning up the kitchen and picked up a shopping bag from the floor to throw it away. As I picked it up, a brown recluse spider scurried out from underneath the bag. And it was a big one! Bigger than a quarter. I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this before, but I have a serious and intense phobia of spiders.
I’ve been known to throw a bowl on top of a spider and pull up a chair to sit and watch the bowl until Seth gets home from work to kill said spider. Is my fear irrational? Cha. Does that make any difference? No. No it does not. Logic flees from my mind at the sight of a spider, regardless of its size.
Anyway, so this spider ran away from the bag as I was jumping around the kitchen and screaming frantically. Seth was at work. There might have been a terrified tear or two that escaped from my eyeballs (DON’T JUDGE ME). I grabbed a shoe and tried to smash it, but I was so spastic and kept jumping away right after each hit that it took me a good two or three minutes to kill him because he kept running away. Ugh…so creepy.
I finally succeeded in my spider killing venture and then Seth got it off the floor when he got home. He chose to tell me in that moment that he saw a HUGE wolf spider (if you have never seen one of these, consider yourself lucky. They are horrifying) on our porch recently. The porch I walk across every single day to get to my car. He didn’t kill it either…just kicked it into the grass. It’s probably sitting out there right now…watching me. Waiting for me to come out so it can scurry in front of my feet and go laugh with its gross spider friends. UGH.
I hate spiders.
I hope you are all having a fantastic, spider-free week so far!
PrintVegan Chili Stewed Chickpeas
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 15.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 3 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 4.5 oz can green chilis (not drained)
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup stock (veggie, chicken, beef, whatever you have – make sure you use veggie stock if you are keeping this vegan)
- Some type of grain for serving (brown rice, quinoa, etc…we used quick cooking brown rice) – you’ll need about 2 cups cooked.
- Optional (but highly recommended) toppings:
- Avocado
- Greek yogurt (don’t use if vegan)
Instructions
- Add your rinsed, drained chickpeas to a medium bowl, and add 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a little black pepper. Stir to combine until all the chickpeas are evenly coated in seasoning
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
- When hot, add your seasoned chickpeas
- Cook for about 5-10 minutes, until the chickpeas have had a chance to sear
- Remove to a plate
- Add your remaining 1 teaspoon of coconut oil into the same skillet
- Add your onions and garlic and cook until softened
- Once softened, add your can of crushed tomatoes, your can of green chilis, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of chili powder, 2 teaspoons of cumin, and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt (to taste). Stir in your cocoa powder and stir to combine. Let this cook for a few minutes
- Add your chickpeas and veggie stock – stir to combine
- Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer – simmer for 15 minutes
- Meanwhile, cook whatever grain you are using
- To serve, add about 1/2 cup of grain to the bottom of a bowl, top it with about 1 cup of stewed chickpeas, and add any optional toppings you desire (avocado/Greek yogurt)
*This recipe is gluten free and vegan*
Nutrition info is for 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of stewed chickpeas, 1 tablespoon of Greek yogurt, and 1/4 of a medium avocado.
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
In the mood for more yummy chickpea recipes? Check these out:
Crispy Garlic Bread Chickpeas [21 Day Fix]
Spicy Chipotle Chickpea Burrito Bowls
Important stuff…..thrilled that your hubs is home. God Bless His HEART!!!!!! Thank him dor his service……..
Now………the recipe really sound delish………..I’ll have to WW point it and see if it is ok for me to eat. It really looks and sounds devine.
RE: FREAKING WOLF SPIDERS………ew……….I hate them. We had them in our garage when we lived in TN. When they walk across the bed of a truck, they sound like spiders in stilettos!!!!!! Crunch them – kill them – they are scary. Think about walking thru the grass……..barefooted………….ew, gives me the crawlies.
So happy for you……….that you are so happy and content right now. You are simply a trip.
OH my gosh, the spiders in stilettos thing has me CRINGING. Blaaarrgggggggg I hate them so much. Thank you so much for the sweet comment, Ter’e!