Tamarind-Spiced Chickpeas and Spinach
"Recipe adapted from the Whole Foods website. This is a simple and quick meal- great for weeknights. And it's low fat, too. Serve over brown rice or another whole grain."
photo by ChefLee
- Ready In:
- 27mins
- Ingredients:
- 14
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- olive oil flavored cooking spray
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 pinch cayenne
- 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1⁄3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon evaporated cane juice sugar
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
- red pepper flakes, to taste
- 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained
- 1 (6 ounce) package pre-washed Baby Spinach (about 6 cups)
- 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
- pepper, to taste
directions
- Heat oil spray in large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion and sauté until softened and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add small amounts of water as needed to keep onions from burning.
- Add cumin, coriander and cayenne to skillet and stir to coat onion with spices.
- Cook for one minute then add diced tomatoes, with their juice, water, sugar, red pepper flakes and tamarind concentrate. Stir to mix well.
- Add chickpeas and bring mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Stir in spinach until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Reviews
-
I followed the recipe exactly and it was very bland. I was able to save it by adding additional ingredients, but as written, the recipe wasn't very good. There are much better chickpea recipes out there. -
This was a good Sunday afternoon lunch. Simple and quick to prepare and full of good things. Served over brown rice. Surprisingly bland when reheated the next day. Eat it fresh! -
I followed another reviewer and halved only the spinach and chickpeas, which made two to three servings with brown rice. I was glad to have done this - the ratio was just right of spices/sauce. I also used half a tablespoon of canola oil, omitted the water and sugar, and reduced the salt. I have made many chana masalas, but never with tamarind or spinach, and we loved what they brought to it! -
Super!!!! I loved this dish with its unique flavor! I used a little over a TBSP Extra virgin olive oil instead of the cooking spray and salted and peppered my onions and cooked them a little bit then added my layers of seasonings.Used my favorite fire-roasted tomatoes and I did not use the water. I used 1/4 tsp cumin because I like it to be subtle in food. Then, after tasting, I added 1 more tsp of tamarind paste because it was not coming through very strong. After another tsp, it really shined in the dish and gave a beautiful deep hue to it as well!! Really liked this recipe, thanks for posting!! -
I cooked up my own chickpeas & this is a fabulous dish! Fast & easy. Everyone loved it. Frighteningly healthy, too. Made for My 3 Chefs 11/08.
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Tweaks
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Super!!!! I loved this dish with its unique flavor! I used a little over a TBSP Extra virgin olive oil instead of the cooking spray and salted and peppered my onions and cooked them a little bit then added my layers of seasonings.Used my favorite fire-roasted tomatoes and I did not use the water. I used 1/4 tsp cumin because I like it to be subtle in food. Then, after tasting, I added 1 more tsp of tamarind paste because it was not coming through very strong. After another tsp, it really shined in the dish and gave a beautiful deep hue to it as well!! Really liked this recipe, thanks for posting!!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>I live with my hubby and three feline children in Oakland by Lake Merritt. <br /> <br /> <br />My rating system: <br />5 stars if the recipe works without having to make changes (my own subs just for personal preference do not count) <br />*New Rule: If hubby says "mmmm" or "this is good" without me asking if he likes it, it automatically gets five stars <br />4 stars if the recipe needs a minimal amount of changing because the recipe does not work the way it was written or if overall it just didn't WOW me. <br />3 stars and below if the recipe just does not work or if the instructions are not written clearly enough to make it. <br /> <br />Please know that I will change your recipe to fit my diet. I mean no disrespect, but since I have to diet I have to do it. I refuse to limit myself to recipes that already fit my diet and like the challenge of changing already existing recipes to be healthier. I will leave out the oil, leave out or replace the cheese and milk with a non-dairy alternative, and use whole grains. I will also leave out meat and broth and choose vegetarian, low sodium versions/alternatives. I still rate recipes that I make these changes to. <br /> <br />But, if I use a recipe as inspiration only- meaning I got a great idea from it but changed it all around- I generally will not give any stars but will put a little note stating what I did. I love to give credit where credit is due. <br /> <br />I don't deduct stars if I personally do not like an ingredient in the recipe. I don't make recipes that I think that I won't like, which is why you will probably notice that most of my ratings are pretty high. I think it is silly that people choose to make recipes that include ingredients that they don't like then rate them poorly saying "I don't care for..." Anyway, you get the idea. <br /> <br />I've participated in <br /> <br /><img src="http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m445/mliss29/vegnswap1/group04cherry.jpg" alt="" /> <br /> <br /><img src="http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m445/mliss29/vegnswap1/group09okra.jpg" alt="" /> <br /><img src="http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m445/mliss29/vegnswap2/group02banana.jpg" alt="" /> <br /> <br /><img src="http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m445/mliss29/vegnswap2/group12starfruit.jpg" alt="" /></p>
