A combination of chickpeas, tahini, seasonal vegetables and warming spices make this creamy stew a winning winter recipe.
Much to my dismay, the weather has cooled down substantially.
If I’m honest with myself, I have to admit that it is, in fact, mid-winter. Bleh!
There are a few things that make winter bearable though …
Gluhwein is probably number one! My Austrian roots are undeniable, and I was brought up sipping my grandmothers gluhwein, even as a child, with a few sips turning my cheeks a deep shade of red LOL! I am still trying to perfect a recipe that tastes near as good as my grans’ did.
Another thing that makes winter somewhat bearable is the food – I love warming vegan soups and stews, and have a really great vegan goulash recipe up my sleeve as well (I am seeing a European theme here!).
This particular recipe I came upon while looking through an old book which I remember being on the bookshelf in our family home through the years. I just happened to have some freshly cooked chickpeas on hand, and while I do love a good chickpea hummus, I wanted to make a dinner meal.
The combination of chickpeas and green beans with the creamy and savoury stew is a real winner, and with the addition of ground cumin and ginger, a hot bowl of this is sure to warm you up on even the coldest of South African winter evenings.
This recipe is also really versatile, simply use whatever vegetables you have on hand instead of green beans – I think anything that keeps slightly firm when cooked would work. The leeks and onions cook down into the sauce adding flavour, and the vegetables add texture, along with tender chickpeas. A few ideas would be baby marrows/zucchini, red or yellow peppers, carrots cut into rounds, cauliflower or broccoli florets, or a mixture of any you have on hand.
As far as health goes, you can tick that one off as well, since this is a well-balanced, whole foods plant-based meal. Protein from the chickpeas, healthy fats from the tahini, lots of vegetables, and when served with brown rice, it is rounded off with a complex carbohydrate too.
I imagine this would also pair really nicely alongside some fresh, crusty bread, if you are feeling less ‘whole foods’ and more ‘comfort foods’!
Winner, Winner, Winter Dinner!
For more warming winter meal ideas try these:
- Hearty split pea soup
- Four corners lentil stew
- Quick and easy vegan chickpea curry
- Traditional spicy Bobotie without meat
Chickpea and Tahini Stew
Course: Dinner, LunchDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes25
minutesA creamy and savoury vegan stew that can be adapted by using any vegetables you have on hand. Perfect for warming up on winter nights.
Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
2 leeks, thinly sliced and washed well to remove grit
2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
+- 150g green beans, sliced into halves or quarters
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground ginger
15ml flour
2 tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 3 cups cooked chickpeas
375ml vegetable stock
50ml tahini/sesame seed paste
25ml soya sauce
Rice, or crusty bread, to serve
Parsley to garnish
Directions
- Heat a large pot and add a splash of oil, or water if you cook without oil.
- Add onions, leeks, celery, garlic and green beans and cook over a low heat for about 5 mins until slightly softened.
- Mix in the ground cumin and ginger, and cook for a further 2 mins.
- Mix in the flour. Add the drained the chickpeas.
- In a small bowl mix together the stock, tahini and soya sauce, and then add it to the stew.
- Bring to a gentle boil, cover and simmer over med/low heat for about 15 mins.
- Serve over rice, or other grains, with a sprinkling of chopped parsley to garnish.
Notes
- This recipe can easily be doubled.
- This recipe is adapted from the recipe ‘chickpea stew with tahini sauce’ found in the book ‘The Best of Vegetarian Cooking’ by Lynn Bedford Hall.
