Moroccan Chickpeas

I’d say the majority of my cooking is pretty basic using salt and cayenne pepper. To me, these two items enhance the flavors of pretty much anything. However, I do crave international foods quite often. I adore Indian spices as well as many Asian flavors, and thank goodness because I think I’d get bored otherwise.

The other day I made chickpeas from scratch and ended up with a huge batch so decided to try this Moroccan inspired dish to switch up the flavor profile. Spices from this region of the world are plentiful so feel free to add to the many that I used below. You can also include a form of protein. I think chicken would’ve gone great with this. Something sweet, like dried apricots, would offset the dense flavors from all the spices as well.

You can eat this as either a stew or go the drier route as a topping for couscous or rice. Just about any vegetable will go as well, so let your creativity run free. Top with fresh dill or cilantro.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 cups water
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 bushel kale (3 cups) stemmed
1/4 cup onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
fresh dill as garnish

Instructions:

Heat oil in a medium sized pot and sauté onion, garlic and ginger.
Once translucent, add water, broth, kale and chickpeas. Season with turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cayenne.
Simmer on low heat until kale is cooked through and serve with some fresh dill.