Chickpea & Spinach Rice
This comforting chickpea & spinach rice dish is the perfect simple side dish that provides maximum flavour from humble ingredients. Hearty enough to stand alone as a satisfying vegan main-course, but also restrained enough to step aside and compliment your protein of choice.
I have served this dish as the carb & greens element of a middle eastern feast alongside pomegranate glazed lamb shoulder and a roast pumpkin salad. This dish is also equally at home in my weekly meal prep rotation with some simple baked chicken strips and tahini dressing. It is convenient to transport and reheat at work, but also freezes well to last throughout the week.
Comforting Chickpea & Spinach Rice
Cook Brown Rice according to packet directions, or in a Pressure Cooker with 1 cup of water for 15 minutes on high with a minimum 5 minutes natural release before opening.
Check over your green beans, de-string if required. Pinch off and discard any hard tops/tails. Steam half submerged in water by Microwave for 5 minutes in a microwave safe container. Remove and Drain.
Preheat a frypan and add the 2tsp olive oil. Sautee the sliced onion for 3-4 minutes until softened and then add the minced garlic. Sautee for an additional 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add in the cumin powder, stir to combine and then add in the baby spinach, gently stirring to combine and wilt down the spinach.
Add in your green beans, drained chickpeas and cooked brown rice and stir to combine until all ingredients are warmed through.
Stir through the lemon juice and season to taste with Salt & Pepper.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook Brown Rice according to packet directions, or in a Pressure Cooker with 1 cup of water for 15 minutes on high with a minimum 5 minutes natural release before opening.
Check over your green beans, de-string if required. Pinch off and discard any hard tops/tails. Steam half submerged in water by Microwave for 5 minutes in a microwave safe container. Remove and Drain.
Preheat a frypan and add the 2tsp olive oil. Sautee the sliced onion for 3-4 minutes until softened and then add the minced garlic. Sautee for an additional 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add in the cumin powder, stir to combine and then add in the baby spinach, gently stirring to combine and wilt down the spinach.
Add in your green beans, drained chickpeas and cooked brown rice and stir to combine until all ingredients are warmed through.
Stir through the lemon juice and season to taste with Salt & Pepper.
Notes
Dried chickpeas generally triple in size when cooked. A drained can of chickpeas yeilds approximately 1.5cups. You will need roughly 1/2 a cup of dried chickpeas to start with for this recipe.
You can substitute fresh baby spinach with frozen chopped spinach, as long as you defrost according to packet instructions and squeeze out as much water as you can before using.
Alternatively, you could use fresh baby arugula for a slightly peppery / spicy addition in flavour that is also complimented with the lemony dressing.
Red Onions are milder and slightly sweeter, but since this recipe doesn’t use them raw you can certainly substitute for another type of onion.
All onions are nutrient dense, meaning that they are low in calories but high in vitamins and minerals.
Red onions are rich in anthocyanins, a naturally occuring antioxident in red, purple and blue plants. However, brown & yellow onions also still contain other antioxidents so there are really no bad choices.
Key Ingredients
