Recipe: Coconut Chickpea Curry

I often have a hard time finding vegetarian recipes that I like, but this one is fantastic. It was given to me by a coworker who says he throws it together on busy nights and heats it up by the fire when he goes camping. I've found that one batch makes 4-6 servings, depending on the meal, and it freezes beautifully. The ingredients are inexpensive, and the recipe is quite forgiving when it comes to amounts. Tweak it to your own idea of perfection.

Some notes on ingredients

Coconut milk is known for its high fat content, but lighter varieties are available, and the rest of this meal has so much to offer. Tomatoes, for example, are known for retaining their nutritional value throughout the canning process, and actually contain higher amounts of lycopene, a cancer-busting antioxidant, when cooked than when raw. Legumes and rice compliment each other, creating a whole protein that means you won't leave the table feeling hungry. And garlic, one of my favourite flavours, is not only good for your heart and blood, but it also rids your intestines of foreign bacteria and parasites. All in all, this recipe gives great value for your money.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp curry paste (or curry powder to taste)
• 1/2 tsp each ground cardamom, cumin, coriander
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 can tomatoes, diced or whole
• 1 can coconut milk

Instructions

1. Sauté onion until translucent, 5 or 6 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, curry paste and spices, and cook for another 2 minutes.
2. Add chickpeas and tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, breaking up whole tomatoes with the back of your spoon.
3. Stir in can of coconut milk.
4. Serve over rice, and pair with a dark green vegetable (steamed broccoli or sautéed spinach are favourites of mine).