#revithia

Recipe: Chick pea & Spinach Tomato Stew [Vegan]

[ Inspired by my mum’s Greek Vegan Revithia Yiaxni recipe]  

Yields: 2 portions. Calories: 263 per portion

Ingredients:

200g cooked chick peas [*see below: how to cook dry chick peas] 125g finely chopped onions 1 clove garlic minced [3g] 45g tomato puree 7.5ml olive oil [1/2 Tbsp] 3ml salt [½ tsp plus 1 dash] 1 dash black pepper 250g Spinach [washed well] 350 ml hot water 

Heat your cooking pot on a medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add your onions with 7.5ml of olive oil stir and cover for 5 minutes.

Remove the lid and add your garlic and stir till lightly golden brown.

Add your tomato puree and stir it for a few minutes.

Pour in your hot water and stir, then add your salt and pepper.

Add your 200g of cooked chickpeas and stir.

Cut your spinach in half if it is small, and in thirds if it is large.

Place it on top of your stew but do NOT stir

Cover with the lid and bring to the boil.

Put the heat on low and simmer for 30 mins.

Weigh your stew and divide into two portions.

 This recipe is for two portions. One portion is for for Tuesday’s lunch. I put the second portion in the fridge for Friday’s lunch. Friday is my shopping day so when I come home I just heat my already cooked food.

 *How to cook dry chick peas [pressure cooker method]

[83g dry Chick peas yields 200g cooked] 

Soak your 85 g of dry chick peas overnight in water covering them by at least double the water to chick peas.

The next day rinse your chick peas well.

Put put them in your pressure cooker cover with cold water by at least an 2 inches

Bring your chick peas to the boil. Boil the chickpeas rapidly on high for 10 minutes.

Discard the water and rinse well.

Put them back in your pressure cooker and cover with cold water by at least an 1 inch. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and when the steam is coming out on the seond bar lower your heat to low and cook for 6 minutes. Check your instruction manual for your pressure cooker timings.

Once the cooking time is over take the pressure cooker off the heat and allow the steam to leave. When the steam button is level, open the lid, and strain the chick peas.

 Boiling in a pan method:

Do steps 1-5 from How to cook dry chick peas method above.

Add triple the water to chick peas ratio and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Handy tip: I cook a whole month’s batch of chick peas and keep them in the freezer in 200g portions. Then I take them out the night before to defrost in the fridge.

Timings:

Beans soaking: 8-12 hours [overnight]

Beans cooking & prep: 30 minutes [pressure cooker method]

Beans cooking: 1 hour and 30 minutes [boiling in a pan method]