As a big lover of the humble chickpea, I'm not sure why it took me so long to think about matching them with carrots. It's possibly because roasting carrots is so damn good, that I tend to rather lazily stick mostly with that method. But take it from me - these two are a match made in heaven. I've added kale here, but if you hate kale just swap it out for another green in the knowledge that no. It is not a 'superfood.' Just a tasty green leaf that's been rather over-hyped in recent years.
What's the A to V?
Carrots are a great source of vitamin A, kale is rich in vitamin K, and chickpeas are a good source of several essential minerals; calcium, non-heme iron, and magnesium to name but a few.
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 onion, diced or sliced into crescent moons
2 cloves of garlic, sliced into rounds
2 tbsp's of olive oil
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
2 carrots, finely diced
2 tsp's harissa paste (add more if you want it hotter!)
3 generous handfuls of kale
1 tbsp of cumin
Optional
75g of chorizo, diced
Generous sprinkling of coriander to finish
Method
Heat your olive oil in a shallow pan, then add your onion. Cook until your onions are translucent, then add your garlic and carrot.
Stir well, season, and add your cumin to the pan. Cook on a medium heat for roughly 5 minutes, until your carrot pieces are starting to soften. Then add your (drained) chickpeas to the pan, season again, and add your harissa. If you're using chorizo, add that in at the same time as your chickpeas.
Cook for a further 5-10 minutes on medium to low heat, then add your kale, and cook for a further 5 minutes or until your carrots are cooked through and the kale has wilted.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of coriander.