This very succulent dish packs a punch that will delight your taste buds while supercharging your daily intake of essential nutrients. High in protein and fibre, sprouted chickpeas provide you with lots of energy throughout the day while helping to control your hunger. We enjoy this meal along with a side dish of slow baked sweet potato fries.
Ingredients
Tahini Chickpeas:
1 cup chickpeas, dry*
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 avocado, diced (optional)
4 green onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, juiced
3 Tbsp raw tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 Tbsp olive oil (optional- see note below**)
2 Tbsp water, or more if needed,
1 tsp cumin,
salt, black pepper & red pepper flakes, to taste
Sweet Potato Fries (side dish):
2 large sweet potatoes, julienned
salt or kelp flakes, to taste
Preparation:
*Refer to the user guide that came with your Markito Nutrition kit to sprout the chickpeas for approximately two days.
In a boiler steamer pot, steam the chickpeas for 5-6 minutes and then place them in a large salad bowl. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil**, cumin and salt. Mix well. Add the bell pepper, avocado and green onions.
Dressing: In a small mixing bowl, combine olive oil** (1 Tbsp), garlic, lemon juice, tahini, water, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir well. You may use a bit more water if needed.
Finally, pour the dressing over the chickpeas and vegetables, and mix well. To serve, place a handful of spinach on a large plate and top with the tahini chickpea mixture.
**Note: This recipe is high in unsaturated fat. Even though this is considered to be a healthier and even essential fat, it is best to reduce the amount of total fat- especially if you have a history of cardiovascular disease. The easiest way to do this is to replace the 2 tablespoons of olive oil with more lemon juice.
Optional side dish – slow baked sweet potato fries:
Preheat the oven at 350F. Peel and julienne the potatoes on one or two baking trays coated with vegetable broth or sunflower oil (to prevent sticking). After 15-20 minutes, turn the potatoes over and bake for another 15-20 minutes. When the fries are ready, sprinkle some sea salt or kelp flakes and enjoy!
Note: the baking temperature suggested (350F) does not allow a lot of acrylamide to form. To further reduce or prevent the formation of acrylamide- a harmful chemical created when plant-based foods are cooked at high temperatures – soak the julienned potatoes in water for two hours prior to baking, and/or bake at a temperature lower than 248F- this will require more time. Finally, make sure that your fries don’t darken or turn brown in colour- they should have a rich orange colour as shown in our photo. (The top sources of acrylamide in the typical North American diet are french fries, potato chips and coffee- all of which require rapid cooking at high temperatures. Lower temperature cooking methods such as dehydrating, steaming and boiling do not produce acrylamide, and are far more nutritious than baking. Raw plant-based foods do not naturally contain acrylamide).
Makes 2-3 servings.
Bon Appétit!
Marc & Christine
