A version of this post has appeared on www.WholeFoodVegan.com.

On the way home from the record store today I thought: what are we having for dinner? My mental inventory of the kitchen was blank. Since I have a one year old baby, I really, really did not want to stop at the store on the way home (she was asleep)! So we bravely ventured home and I figured I would whip up something with what few ingredients we had on hand.

This is what I made.

It is awesome!

We had a bag of dry chickpeas, an onion and few cloves of garlic, a box of salt-free tomato sauce, and four tiny heads of choi sum fresh in the fridge. Choi sum is a relative of (and basically identical to) baby bok choi. My big find was the leftovers of a bag of shredded unsweetened coconut way in the back of the cabinet. Now we have ingredients for something great! I went to work. First I brought the dry chickpeas to a boil in a large pot, turned off the heat and let soak for 1 hour. Meanwhile I chopped and prepped the other ingredients. Then I boiled the chickpeas for 45 minutes, cooked up some red quinoa, and started the recipe below.

You can use any “sweet curry” for this recipe (really any curry will do). I make my own from: 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon turmeric, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

Coconut Curried Chickpeas with Choi Sum

4 Heads choi sum (or baby bok choi), rinsed and chopped. Separate the chopped leafy part from the chopped stems.

3 Spring onions, chopped. Separate the green from the chopped white parts of the stem.

1 Large yellow onion, chopped

1/4 Cup chopped cilantro

7 Cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed with flat end of large knife

15 oz Tomato sauce

1 Cup soy or other plant-based milk

1/3 Cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 Pound bag of chickpeas, cooked according to package directions

1 Teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 or 2 Tablespoons curry powder, or to taste

Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add the crushed garlic, chopped onion, white parts of the spring onion, chopped choi sum stems, and 1/2 cup water. Use the water saute method to cook the veggies for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent. If the water evaporates, add a few more tablespoons as needed. Add the crushed red pepper and curry powder to the pot and stir for a few seconds until fragrant. Then add the shredded coconut, tomato sauce, and soy milk. Stir in the chickpeas and choi sum greens, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Ladle curried chickpeas over cooked brown rice or red quinoa, top with the chopped cilantro and remaining spring onions, and serve.

Also by Chelsea: Why I Hate Salads — and How to Make Them Taste Good!

How to Lose Weight on a Vegan Diet

The Beautiful Plate – 5 Stunningly Simple Vegan Recipes

__

Photo: Chelsea Ihnacik / Whole Food Vegan