Recipe Challenge: Stewed Garbanzo Beans

While it requires a little planning ahead (dried beans need to be soaked overnight) the actual cooking and assembly requires minimal effort. The pay off? A warm and satisfying dish, perfect for these chilly autumn nights. Feel free to add an egg on top (+70 calories), a spoonful of Greek yogurt, and/or your favorite hot sauce (Rebecca recommends Frank’s RedHot). You can even use a blender or handheld immersion blender to change up the texture if you prefer a creamier stew. Enjoy! 

Recipe Adapted from Everything I Want to Eat by Jessica Koslow

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup dried garbanzo beans
• Fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and finely grated
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon smoked chile powder
• 3 canned tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl, combine beans and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt with enough water to completely cover the beans by a few inches (beans will expand after soaking). Let soak at room temperature ~8 hours/overnight. 
2. On the following day, drain and rise the garbanzo beans. Place in a pot with 4 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the water is at a simmer. Cook roughly 45-60 minutes until the beans are tender, and don’t taste “chalky.” Add water as needed to keep the beans submerged. Then transfer the beans and their liquid to a bowl.
3. To your empty pot, add oil, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until the onion softens, ~4 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and chile powder. Allow spice blend to become fragrant, ~1 minute. Add the tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the brown bits off. Add the garbanzo beans and their liquid. You may add more water here if you prefer. Allow the beans to simmer for a few minutes. 
4. For a variation on texture, you can remove half the beans (using a slotted spoon) and gently mash them with a fork. You could also use an immersion blender to blend them. Or, you can keep the beans as they are (up to you). Return the mashed/blended beans to the pot if removed. 
5. To serve, ladle the stew into bowls. Options to add an egg (+70 calories), a dollop of Greek yogurt (~+20 calories), and/or your favorite hot sauce. 

Nutrition Facts per serving (serves 4): 210 calories, 6.3g fat, 30g carbohydrate, 9g fiber, 10g protein.