Chickpea Curry

Chickpea Curry
Pretty, huh?



Oh my, where have I been?
What have I been doing?

When there is a large span of time and I don't post a recipe on this here cooking blog, my dad starts to ask me if maybe I have just been feeding my family food from McDonalds!

Yes, it's been a busy summer. I can't say it's any one thing that has had me busy, but it's been busy.  We have been eating out a little too often and I have been cooking less.  My baby boy had a full-time job this summer so it does feel like I have been cooking for him a whole lot less. 

My husband has been trying to lose a little weight this summer. I just can't muster up the motivation to change my eating habits much. I've worried about what I eat for the better part of 40 years. I am over it.  I try to eat pretty healthy and watch my portions, exercise regularly, etc.  When my husband announced that he just wanted to eat watermelon and protein this week (pretty much go on a low carb diet for a week or two), I knew I was on my own for some meals.  The Pioneer Woman had this recipe on her blog the other day and I grabbed the ingredients at the store so I could make this for myself.  I am glad I did. 



Chickpea Curry by Ree Drummond (www.thepioneerwoman.com)


2 cups Basmati rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced fine
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons curry powder, any variety (next time I'll double the curry powder)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup vegetable stock (I used chicken stock)
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk (I opted for lite coconut milk)
1 tablespoon honey, more to taste
1 tablespoon Sriracha or hot sauce (I left this out, my Sriracha expired in 2013... doh!)
lime wedges, for serving (optional)... I had none
cilantro leaves, for garnish


Cook the basmati rice according to the package instructions.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions, season with salt

and pepper and cook for a few minutes, until the onions are soft and starting to turn

golden. Sprinkle in the curry powder and garlic and stir, cooking for another minute or

so. Pour in the vegetable stock and stir to scrape up all the brown bits in the pan. Add

the coconut milk, honey and a squirt of sriracha. Bring to a boil, add the chickpeas,

reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding

more salt, honey, or Sriracha (or lime juice, if using).

Serve the curry over the rice. Garnish with the cilantro.


************
I ended up thickening up my sauce at the end with a little slurry of cornstarch and water.  Maybe my sauce needed a bit of thickening since I used lite coconut milk instead of regular.  Next time I make this, I will use at least 3 (maybe 4) teaspoons of curry powder.  Also, I think this would be really good with chicken thighs in place of the chickpeas). I used organic chickpeas in my recipe and I found the chickpeas to be a little too firm.