Yummy Coconut Chickpea Curry

I finished the 21-day Food Matters Program on FMTV and lost 10 pounds.  I loved the program and recipes so much that I have started the second set of 21 days.

Here's a recipe for Chickpea Curry from FMTV.  One of the many delicious recipes you can enjoy on their 21 day challenge.  I took this picture myself so you can see how easy and beautiful it is!

Ingredients:
​(use organic ingredients where possible)

​Curry Paste:

• ​​1 tbsp. coconut oil​
• ​1 onion, finely chopped
• ​2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• ​2 tbsp. garam masala powder
• ​1 tsp turmeric
  
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
  
• Zest of one lime

Chickpea Curry:

• ​2 cups of cooked chickpeas, tinned or soaked and cooked
• 1 x 14 oz (1 x 400ml) can coconut milk
• 1 tsp sea salt
  
• 1/2 bunch cilantro (coriander), chopped for garnish
  
• 1/4 lime
  
• 1 cup cooked rice (brown basmati or brown long grain)
  

​

Method:

1. ​​Melt coconut oil in a large pot, add onion and garlic and cook gently over a low heat until translucent.  Add remaining curry paste ingredients and cook, stirring regularly for about 2 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Add the coconut milk and coconut milk and stir through. Gently simmer for 4 minutes. 
3. Serve immediately with a garnish of fresh cilantro leaves and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice on top of your rice.  Enjoy!

Special Notes:

• ​​This curry freezes well.  You can get 2 or 3 servings from one batch so it is easy to save for another meal.
• garam masala powder can be purchased in most spice sections of grocery stores.  Probably the cheapest would be Super Store as they have a pretty extensive South Asian food section.
• To keep costs down, I like to shop at Bulk Barn for my brown basmati and brown long grain rice along with chickpeas.
• If you are preparing your garbanzo/chickpeas from dry add one or two cups of dried chickpeas to a big pot of water and let them soak overnight.  Then, boil them until very tender with a bay leaf.  (approximately 2 hours).  Rinse thoroughly and freeze the excess beans.  Soaking beans, boiling with a bay leaf and rinsing thoroughly helps make them easier to digest.  You are less likely to get gassy.