Chickpea Kale Stir-Fry

The main dish we made in the South Arm Kitchen is an Indian infused chickpea stir fry dish.

This Chickpea Kale Stir-Fry is simple to make and yet pack with nutrition. The flavour is bold and the ginger and cayenne gives this dish some spiciness. Serve the chickpea stir-fry with a dollop of lemony yogurt.
Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 cups finely chopped kale
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 cup hempseeds
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 cup plain, 2% Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Source: “One-Skillet Meals” alive #378, April 2014
Serves 4.

For dessert, we made some Almond and Honey Cookies. You can find the recipe here.
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Chickpea Curry (Chana Masala)

For the main course, Minoo prepared a Chickpea Curry for the spice theme. This is also known as Chana Masala in the Indian culinary term.

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This vegetarian curry is loaded with spices like garam masala, cumin and coriander. Minoo served this Chickpea Curry with brown rice.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garam Masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 1/2 inches piece of fresh ginger
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped coursely
  • 2 potatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 20 oz canned chickpeas
  • green chilies, finely chopped  (to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • fresh cilantro for garnishing

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Source: via Minoo

Yield 5 servings.

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Lemon Scented Quinoa Salad

Minoo also incorporated a salad recipe using grain for the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen to complete the meal.

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This Lemon Scented Quinoa Salad is nutty and packed with a lot of nutrition. For me, this salad itself can be a lunch which is quite filling.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly (about 5 times)
  • 2 cups water
  • salt
  • 1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, sliced thin

Tahini Lemon Dressing

  • 1 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1 lemon or vinegar of your choice
  • 4 tablespoons Greek style yogurt (make your own by draining organic plain yogurt overnight in a cheese cloth)
  • hot water
  • salt and pepper to taste

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Source: this recipe is adapted from Kevin Turner

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Baba Gha-Hummus Sandwiches

Minoo also prepared some Baba Gha-Hummus for making Baba Gha-Hummus Sandwiches for the South Arm Christmas Craft Fair fund raising. Minoo was given a lot of ready made hummus and all she did was to roast some eggplant to make Baba Gha-Hummus. If you’ll like to make Baba Gha-Hummus from scratch, here is the recipe.

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Baba Gha-Hummus Sandwiches is a sandwich with middle eastern twist. It is not a common sandwich that you’ll find in the store.

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While the fillings of the sandwiches were prepared by volunteers from the South Arm Community Kitchen, the assembly of the sandwiches was done by another group of participants from the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors and also 4 teenagers volunteers on the morning of the craft fair. This team was led by Phil. Thank you all who volunteer.

Ingredients

  • 2 tubs hummus
  • 1 large eggplant, roasted
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cucumber, sliced
  • 60 sliced whole wheat bread

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Source: Minoo; makes 30 sandwiches

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African Curried Coconut Stew with Chickpeas

Helena and June made this African Curried Coconut Stew with Chickpeas in the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors.

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This African Curried Coconut Stew with Chickpeas is wonderful. The peanut butter adds an interesting flavour to this hearty stew.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno chili, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 medium can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 medium can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup light coconut milk
  • 3/4 cup cooked white or brown rice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
  • salt to taste

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Source: adapted from Donna Klein’s Tropical Vegan Kitchen

Prep time: 20 minutes;  Cook time: 25 minutes;  Serves 4.

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Spinach And Chickpea Fritters

The second recipe demonstrated by Minoo in the South Arm Community Kitchen is an Indian recipe. It is Spinach and Chickpea Fritters. These vegetarian fritters can be served as an appetizer or snack.

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Minoo served the Spinach and Chickpea Fritters with a store bought mango chutney. The fritters are fried to very crispy and they are great snacks with vegetables in it.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chickpea flour (available at Middle Eastern, Indian or health food stores) or all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 cup canned chickpeas
  • 1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
  • vegetable oil for frying
  • mango chutney, for serving

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Source: adapted from food network

Prep time: 30 minutes; Cook time: 20 minutes; Serve 6 to 8

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How To Make Baba Gha-Hummus

When I asked Minoo about the origin of this dish, she told me it’s a combination of Persian’s Baba Ganouj (an eggplant dip) and Greek Hummus, hence the name Baba Gha-Hummus.

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Minoo is not sure of the source of this recipe as she has a huge repertoire of recipes collection.

Prep time: 45 mins;  Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 3 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

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Creamy Hummus

Hummus is a popular Greek dip.   I must warn you in advance that if you are going for a date, refrain from eating too much hummus as the raw garlic after taste is going to ruin your date.

June and Christina partnered to make this Creamy Hummus in the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors.  This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light and it serves 4.

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For a  truly creamy hummus, it’s important to blend the tahini with water and lemon juice first; this allows it to emulsify, and gives the hummus its fabulous texture.   This Creamy Hummus is best served with some pita chips.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
  • 1 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 (19oz) can chickpeas
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

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