Are you looking for a fast, colorful, protein dense, vegetarian meal? This chickpea recipe is my “go-to” meal when I have little time to cook. Depending on how quickly you can dice, this lemon and paprika seasoned stir fry can take less than 20 minutes to prepare and serve. It is also easily altered depending on the veggies that you have in your refrigerator. I have substituted lime juice for lemon, spinach for arugula, quinoa with brown rice, shallots for onion and tossed in extra vegetables such as purple cabbage, broccoli and asparagus.
What are chickpeas and how to prep them
Chickpeas, also known as Garbanzo Beans, are legumes, related to black beans, kidney beans and peanuts. They are high in protein, carbohydrates, fiber, unsaturated fats, folate (vitamin B9) and phosphorus and are readily available in food stores in canned and dried bean formats.
I personally opt for the low sodium, organic canned versions for quick meals. If I know in advance that I am using large quantities of chickpeas, I rehydrate dried beans in my pressure cooker.
To rehydrate via Instant Pot, place 1 lb of dried chickpeas plus 6 cups of water into the pot. Cover, set high pressure for 40 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Open the lid, drain the beans and use in your favorite recipe.
To rehydrate via a slow cooker, soak 1 lb of dried beans in water for 8 – 12 hours. Transfer the soaked beans plus 6 cups of water into the crock pot. Cover and set on high for 4.5 hours or low for 9 hours. Drain and serve.
To rehydrate via stove top, soak 1 lb of dried beans in water for 8 – 12 hours. Transfer the beans and enough water to cover the chickpeas by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes or until the beans are soft. Drain and serve.
Chickpea, Quinoa, Veggie Saute – Easy!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive oil light
- 1 Sweet onion (large) diced, about 1 cup
- 1 Yellow sweet bell pepper (large) diced, about 1 cup
- 1 Orange or red sweet bell pepper (large) diced, about 1 cup
- 1 cup Tomatoes diced, about 1 cup
- 1 15.5 oz can Chickpeas drained
- 1 Lemon juiced, about 3 tablespoons
- 3 tbsp Olive oil light and equal amounts to the lemon juice
- 1 cup Quinoa cooked
- 2 cups Arugula
- 2 teas Smoked paprika
- ½-1 teas Garlic powder
- 1 teas Lemon pepper or black pepper
- 1 teas Sea salt
Instructions
- Pour olive oil into a saute pan. Turn heat to medium.
- Add diced onions, peppers and chick peas to the pan and saute.
- Juice the lemon and add equal amount of olive oil to the container. Whisk.
- Pour some of the lemon and oil mixture into the saute pan to keep the vegetables and chick peas moist while they cook.
- Continue cooking until the chick peas are slightly browned and the vegetables are soft.
- Add diced tomatoes, stir and cook until warm.
- Stir the quinoa into the saute pan, add the remaining lemon juice mixture and cook until warm.
- Sprinkle the seasonings (paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, salt) on the saute mix, and stir well.
- Turn off the heat, add the arugula to the mixture. Allow the arugula to wilt.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Substitution Options:
- Exchange 1 large diced shallot for the sweet onion.
- Exchange spinach (snipped into long pieces) for the arugula.
- Use lime juice instead of lemon juice.
- Substitute brown rice for quinoa.
- Add some heat with 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
Nutrition
Lentils, chick peas, black and other beans are high protein plant-based staple.
