This weekend was all about the ultimate Girls' Night—A Very Merry Art Night! In a spontaneous burst of culinary inspiration, I whipped up one of my all-time favorite dishes: Spicy Chickpeas. To my delight, it turned out to be a crowd-pleaser, and some of the folks who joined in couldn't resist asking for the recipe.

So, here it is, Allie! Dive into the oh so yummy recipe of Spicy Chickpeas, with a few notes on what worked like a charm for me. Pro tip: I've got a soft spot for using coconut shortening (works wonders in my naan bread recipe too!). Get ready to add a dash of spice to your kitchen adventures!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil or shortening

• 1 medium onion, sliced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced (try not to use pre-minced garlic, it can burn really quickly)

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1-2 tablespoons curry powder*

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

• 13 ounces of coconut milk

• 2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• Salt & pepper, to taste

• Naan bread and turmeric rice, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-low (coconut oil burns real quickly)

   1. Add in sliced onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper.

   2. Cook and stir for 10-15 minutes until onions are a golden brown and soft. If your onions get dry you can add in a tablespoon of water.

2. After onions are golden brown, increase heat to medium.

   1. Add in curry powder and cumin and stir until toasted, approximately 1 minute.

   2. Add in the crushed tomatoes, and be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden or rubber spatula to move around any spices or onions stuck to the bottom.

3. Now stir in the coconut milk and chickpeas to the pot.

   1. Stir and turn the heat to low.

   2. Let the pot simmer until the sauce is thickened and the chickpeas are soft. This typically takes about 20-30minutes.

   3. Add in salt and pepper to taste, and more red pepper if needed.

4. Serve with rice and/or naan bread.

One thing abut this recipe is that you can make it as spicy as you like, just by adding less red pepper flakes. Or changing your curry blend. Check out below for the Curry blend.

*Interestingly enough Curry is a blend of spices and everyone makes it a little bit differently. So I make my own Curry Spice, which honestly taste different everytime but is always to my liking. You'll see, I really like tumeric and spice. Here's what I add to my spice jar for my favorite blend:

• 2 tbps Ground Coriander

• 2 tbps Ground Cumin

• 2 tbps Ground Turmeric

• 2 tsp of ground ginger

• 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper

• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp of cayenne

Thanks to Hostthetoast.com/easy-chickpea-curry for their Easy Chickpea Curry recipe that I use as a guide each time I make Spicy Chickpeas!

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