This is one easy-peasy recipe with simple ingredients and it requires barely 10 minutes to prepare!

Garbanzo beans contain high levels of Vitamin A, B and C and  have anti-inflammatory properties. They’re a great source of protein, especially if you’re a vegetarian. I’ve never been that much of a  meat-eater so it works well for me too. A couple of things to keep in mind while working with garbanzo beans, or any beans for that matter – First, beans are known to cause gastric so it’s important to that they are soaked and cooked well. You can always search “How to cook beans the right way”. You could also just use canned garbanzo beans if you’re okay with preservatives etc. Second, for the same reason, it’s  recommended that we eat beans with a good portion of vegetables, preferably lots of greens. I like to use more spinach than garbanzo beans in this recipe because I love greens. Third, if possible, eat only one protein in same meal as each protein requires a specific type and strength of digestive juices.

I’m constantly looking for ways to reduce the number of steps involved in my cooking… even if it’s by a couple. Trust me, even that helps. Peeling and chopping garlic was always an effort; especially when I needed it to be finely chopped. Holding a little clove of garlic down onto a chopping board and then using a knife to chop the clove up (that’s just one clove!) would get too stressful on my fingers and wrist. I first came across pre-peeled garlic a few months back, which was great for the time being, but not enough to make things really easy. Just a few weeks back however, I found a small pack of raw chopped garlic and THAT was it! It made my life much easier. Plus, it stores well in a refrigerator for about two weeks.

Another thing I do is to use a pair scissors to cut (chop) up chillies or sometimes even the leafy vegetables. Whether I use a knife or a pair of scissors really depends on the joints are hurting that day and my exhaustion level – sometimes I find that using a scissors is in fact easier  than using a knife while sometimes I feel washing one less of an item is worth it!

Here’s the recipe :

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 chopped red chili

1/2 cup spring onion

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 cups soaked garbanzo beans

2 cup spinach leaves

1/2 teaspoon onion powder – I prefer using this to fresh onions in some recipes

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt to taste

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Fried onion or parsley – optional

Preparation

In a skillet, heat olive oil. Then, add chopped garlic, chopped red chili and cumin seeds, and sauté until garlic turns slightly brown. Next, add spring onions, garbanzo beans and lightly sauté till the beans are evenly coated. To that, add dijon mustard and mix well. Add spinach leaves, salt and cover for about 4 minutes. Do not add extra water; let the spinach cook in its own juices. Finally, squeeze in  lemon juice, add rest of the spring onion and garnish with fried onions or parsley.

Serve with toasted bread, brown rice or enjoy as is!

❤︎