Delicious

Having finished most of the big things required for my PhD, I’ve made a little resolution to make sure I’m cooking more. It’s not that I was eating particularly unhealthfully in the traditional sense, but I would consider eating cereal for more than one meal per day more than 3-4 days per week to be unhealthy, even if there are lots of fruits and vegetables on the side. It is monotonous, and makes me feel a little desperate and somehow… mentally unhealthy. The best course of action when I’m feeling this way is to peruse some cookbooks. My go-to options are Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Between those two, there is a recipe for just about everything a person could wish to eat, all of them are fairly easy, and many are flexible based on what is in my refrigerator/freezer. Every time I think I’ve found all of my favorite recipes, I find another. Today, I present to you a delicious way to use chick peas and all kinds of random vegetables. This is a serious refrigerator cleaner!

Stewed Chickpeas and Crazy Delicious Trimmings

adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

4 cups drained cooked or canned chickpeas
2 cups bean cooking liquid or stock (or some combination)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 zucchini, chopped (this is optional, or you could use eggplant or some other hearty vegetable you aren't sure what else to do with - I foresee this being very popular when the zucchini plants being producing more than your typical human can cope with)
1 package of chorizo flavored seitan, or some other delicious meat or non-meat protein (the original recipe uses chicken)
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 28 oz. can tomatoes (drain more or less depending on how soupy your like your stew)
minced cilantro for garnish

Warm the beans in a large pot with the liquid; add salt and pepper. Adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles very slowly.

Place the oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Brown the zucchini and fake chorizo, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl, leaving any remaining oil in the pan.

Turn the heat to medium and add the onion, celery, and carrot, as well as a bit more oil if necessary. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are the consistency you like your stew – mine were slightly crunchy. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes more. Stir occasionally and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. Add the mixture to the simmering beans and let simmer for a bit (5 minutes?), or longer if you like a less soupy stew.

To serve, ladle the stewed chick peas into a bowl, spoon over the zucchini and fake chorizo, and then garnish with chopped cilantro. So delicious!