Happy Meatless Monday! Today we are taking a trip to India, courtesy of this very easy recipe from The Very Easy Vegetarian Cookbook. On the menu for tonight is a quick and simple buttered chickpea, which is a vegetarian alternative to the classic buttered chicken. The humble chickpea is an incredible substitute for chicken and it’s low in fat and rich in fiber. Not to mention that it is a complex carbohydrate and protein. This miracle food is full of vitamins as it’s a good source of calcium, iron and vitamin B– not to mention very affordable. Think of it as a curry in a hurry!

Ingredients
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
300 g condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup cream
300 g chickpeas
200 g boiled baby potatoes, cubed
1-2 tablespoon chopped coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Chop the onion very finely while the oil heats in a large pan.  Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is starting to brown.  Stir in the curry powder and garam masala, ginger and cumin. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for one to two minutes longer.  Tip in the soup, cream, drained chickpeas and potatoes, and leave the sauce to simmer for about five minutes.  Add the chopped coriander and salt to taste.  Serve over steamed basmati rice.

This recipe serves three to four and can be adjusted as needed. This buttered chickpea recipe uses a tin of canned tomato soup which makes the sauce thick and creamy. This sauce can be used with anything, as it goes well with chickpeas and new potatoes as well as paneer cheese and tofu. Other suggestions are that 2% milk can be used instead of cream; however it will make for a thinner sauce. To speed things along the sauce can be tossed in the blender or food processor to save time prepping the onions. Pureeing the sauce gives it a velvety consistency but do this before adding the chickpeas. A perfect accompaniment to this tasty and exotic dish is rice – try cooking it in coconut milk for a different flavor. Enjoy!

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