Spicy Chickpea Curry

Spicy chickpea curry…  it’s what I was in the mood for, so I whipped up this recipe today using ingredients I had around the house.

I’m on my last week of a 28-day cleanse, so I’m still restricted to a list of clean, anti-inflammatory ingredients.  But eating clean does not have to mean restricted flavor!  There are ways to infuse spices into your food and still allow your body to detox, as I’ve been learning through this cleanse.

This recipe started off with me wanting to roast a colorful tray of vegetables, so I combined cauliflower (white), sweet potatoes (bright orange), and some hot Anaheim chilis (green) we found on sale at Sprouts.  The chilis were so hot that the skin on my hands were burning for awhile, so if you do deal with spicy chilies, you may want to wear some gloves.

Then, I had some tomatoes that were starting to lose their freshness, so I thought it was time to cook them.  I roughly chopped them and put them into my Magic Bullet, along with some cilantro (one of my favorite herbs).  Then, I started to grind some fresh black pepper and realized, “Wait a minute!  I’m using my Magic Bullet, so I can just put a few peppercorns into the blender and let it do the work!”  So that’s what I did!

To add a depth of flavor, I thought a couple of small spoonfuls of cumin-coriander powder would taste nice along with some chili powder to give it a kick, so they joined the blender and then later simmered together in a pot with the chickpeas and roasted veggies.  It smelled really good, and I couldn’t wait to dive in and take a taste that I nearly burnt all of my tastebuds.  But it was so worth it!

I was really pleased that this new clean detox-friendly recipe was born out of ingredients I had around the house.  Hope you enjoy it!

If you’re looking for a Magic Bullet, you can buy one here through Amazon: Magic Bullet Blender, Small, Silver, 11 Piece Set, where Chi Friendly Eats will get a small percentage of the sale.

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Spicy Chickpea Curry

Spicy chickpea curry is satisfying and filling!  Serve it over basmati rice and you have a a quick delicious meal.  

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author chifriendlyeats

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas

Curry Base

• 2 tomatoes
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 4 black peppercorns
• 2 tsp cumin/coriander powder (if you don't have cumin and coriander, you can just use 2 tsp of cumin)
• 1 pinch chili powder (adjust to taste)

Vegetables to Roast

• 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
• 1 yam/sweet potato, diced
• 1 hot Anaheim chili pepper (you can substitute with your favorite chili pepper or a bell pepper)
• 2 tsp oil (extra virgin olive, avocado, or grapeseed are my favorite oils)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place cut vegetables (cauliflower, sweet potato, peppers) on a baking sheet. Drizzle oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Toss until oil and seasoning is evenly distributed on the vegetables.

3. Roast vegetables for 20 minutes, until cauliflower is slightly browned and sweet potatoes are cooked.

4. Meanwhile, put all the ingredients of the curry base into a blender.  I used a Magic Bullet and the ingredients fit perfectly.  Blend to desired consistency. I like it fairly smooth, since it's a curry. 

5. Pour the blended ingredients into a medium sauce pan, add 1/4 cup water into the blender, swirl to get all the residual curry left in the container into the water, and pour into the sauce pan.  (My dad taught me not to be wasteful - you want to get all that goodness you just blended together into the pot!)

6. Add a can of chickpeas, along with the liquid (aquafaba) into the curry and bring to a boil.  Reduce to medium heat.  Add roasted vegetables and simmer for about 10 minutes until the spices infuse into the vegetables.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

7. Enjoy as is or serve over rice (my favorite is brown basmati).