brown rice bowl with vegetables & roasted chickpeas

Sometimes when I'm getting dinner ready I don't even have a plan about what's going to happen. A few frantic moments to quickly catalogue what's the cupboard and fridge and something should happen. But sometimes it doesn't. The other weekend, I cooked up some brown rice with the intention that whipping up some fried rice the following evening would be perfect. But I didn't have a clue what I was going to make for dinner that night. I took stock and let a few ideas germinate and this is what I came up with.

This rice bowl is simple and delicious and I've really been digging on these healthy bowls lately as they're filling and really quite flavourful. The roasted chickpeas added a spicy, nutty crunch to the dish while the vegetables were just simply sauteed. I used what vegetables were in my crisper but this is highly adaptable, so throw in what you like! Cornelius topped his dish with a bit of soy sauce, but I used some mango chutney and a bit of hot sauce on mine. Delicious!

Oh, and if you want to get to know me a bit more, Scout Magazine did an interview with me. Take a look!

brown rice bowl with vegetables & roasted chickpeas
1 c brown rice
2 c water
1 t salt

1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 T curry paste
1 T olive oil
1 T cumin seeds, toasted & lightly crushed
1/4 t salt
1 t hot sauce

1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch bit of ginger, diced
1/2 zucchini, sliced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 c leftover diced chicken or tofu (optional)

1. Boil water and add in salt and brown rice. Simmer covered over medium heat until most of the water has been absorbed. Turn down heat to low and simmer until ready.

2. Turn oven to 400F. In a bowl, mix up the chickpeas, curry paste, cumin seeds , salt and hot sauce. Spread onto a baking dish and bake for 30-45 minutes, until chickpeas shrink and get a bit crunchy. Shake the dish a few times to get things moving.

3. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat, adding garlic, ginger and onion. When soft, add in remaining vegetables and protien. Saute until the vegetables are bright and crisp and the protien is heated through.

4. Dish out brown rice into deep bowls and top with roasted chickpeas and vegetable mixture. Serve with soy sauce, mango chutney or hot sauce, if desired.