Whenever I can’t decide what to make for dinner, I usually just combine a lot of different foods into a pot. This is a great way of discovering new tastes, as well as using up what is in the fridge. In this case, I had chickpeas, quinoa, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, coconut milk and snap peas. When using coconut milk as part of a dish, it’s always nice to saute the vegetables in coconut oil. It’s a lovely, fragrant flavour and is great for you as well!
As a base to a dish like this, it’s good to have garlic, ginger and onion on hand. They help to create great flavours throughout, especially when cooked with coconut oil. You can play around with spices as well, depending on what sort of flavours you like. I used a little cumin, coriander and turmeric.
Some other good vegetables for a dish like this would be courgettes (zucchini), carrots, celery, aubergine (eggplant), butternut squash and spinach. You could also use brown rice instead of quinoa as the base or have it without either. If you don’t use the rice or quinoa, it could be used as a side dish or as a sauce for your chicken or fish.
Now it’s time to recipize it… These are just estimates so use as much or little as you like!
Chickpea Vegetable Medley
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp ginger, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander (ground)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 sweet potato, diced
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup snow or snap peas
1 cup quinoa, cooked
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can coconut milk
Handful of fresh coriander (cilantro)
Saute the coconut oil, garlic, ginger and onion on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add in the cumin, coriander and turmeric and stir for another 3-5 minutes. Add in the sweet potato and continue stirring. Add the remainder of the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes, depending on how you like your vegetables. Make sure not to overcook them because they lose some of their nutrients. Add in the coconut milk and stir frequently. Add the cooked quinoa towards the end and continue to stir. Sprinkle with fresh coriander (cilantro).
Try this as a main meal or a side dish. It’s dairy free, gluten free and full of essential nutrients. Enjoy!
