We’re calling this a stew. I was at a loss of what to call it for a while – it’s got a nice broth, but it doesn’t take too long to make if you use canned chickpeas. It doesn’t fit into any category very cleanly. This delicious STEW is a one-pot chorus of the sweet, the salty, the fresh and the spicy. I am so proud of how it turned out! I had another dish scheduled for this blog post, but I was so excited about this one that I had to share it instead.

On my way home from work I was barely holding my head up on the train. We were in bad need of groceries and clean laundry after our travel weekends, and even after a fully rested weekend, Mondays are the hardest. I’m glad I didn’t fall asleep!

A walk with Dave in the sunshine to the store brought me new energy. We got a bunch of fun ingredients at the store that we plan on playing with on the blog: celery root, fresh coconut and artichoke, just name a few. Plus, I knew that along with dinner, I’d get to play with my new toys: a pair of giant 1000-watt Cowboy Studio lights. They are life-changing.

And we successfully did some laundry, so I will be able to work out wearing clothes tomorrow morning. My neighbors will be grateful, I’m sure. (Why is it that sports bras are always so hard to find amongst your laundry? It’s like a terrible law of the universe.)

Here’s what you need:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 whole white onion, sliced and then cut in half, so it is in long pieces
1 can of tomatoes, with liquid (regular approximately 15 oz size)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (same size)
1/2 cup water
4 cloves garlic
Juice of 1/2 lime
Zest of whole lime
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. dried lemongrass
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Pinch of kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
2-3 cups cooked brown rice
Greek yogurt for topping, if you like (but then it becomes not vegan 🙂 )

Heat the oil in a large skillet, and add the onion when hot. Cook for about five minutes, until onions start to become translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Next, add the tomatoes, water, chickpeas, lime juice, lime zest, coriander, cumin, lemongrass, pepper flakes and kosher salt. Stir together gently and bring to a simmer. Use your spoon/spatula to smash the tomatoes into small pieces. Reduce to your desired thickness – I recommend leaving it a little bit watery, because it will go nicely with the rice.

Serve in bowls over brown rice and top with fresh mint. I also added some freshly-ground black pepper and a dollop of Greek yogurt, and it was excellent.