Easy Meal Mondays! Spiced Chickpea Smothered Sweet Potato

Hello Everyone!  This is the second installment in my series on easy and healthy meal options that Jason and I have made and love.  I am planning on posting one recipe every Monday that is easy to make since I very rarely have energy for anything more than easy.  This recipe is from the blog Good Life Eats and is for two Sweet Potatoes Smothered in a Spiced Chickpea Curry.  Jason and I make this every other week or so.  It is easy enough to make on a weeknight, and, if we double or triple this recipe, it reheats well for taking to work for lunches.  

Spiced Chickpea Smothered Sweet Potato (original recipe from Good Life Eats)

YIELD: 2 servings

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 1 hour & 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour & 30 minutes

A slightly spicy chickpea and tomato stew served over a sweet potato

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes, preferably rounder

1 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium shallots (I use a small onion)

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

2 whole cloves

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I usually only use 1/4 teaspoon because 1/2 makes this too spicy for my husband and I)

1 tablespoons smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup stewed tomatoes (I just use diced tomatoes)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 to 1 cup vegetable broth (When I cook the dried chickpeas I save the broth that makes and freeze it back to use as vegetable broth)

2 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed if using canned (I make a large quantity of chickpeas from dried chickpeas and then freeze back the ones I do not use in my recipe in 2 cup batches so they are ready for the next time I make this)

Cilantro, to serve (It is good with cilantro, but I never have it on hand)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400˚. Scrub sweet potatoes with running water, pat dry, and peirce several times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Sweet potatoes should be tender.

Add cumin and coriander seeds to a small dry pan. Over medium-low heat, lightly toast until fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Place in a mortar along with cloves and grind until large pieces are broken down. Combine with red pepper flakes, paprika, and salt; set aside.

In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Mince the shallot (onion) and add to a pan, sautéing until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Stir in spices and cook for 1 minute more. Add stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, and 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add chickpeas. Continue to simmer for at least 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are done. Add more vegetable broth if desired.

To serve, place a slit in the top of the sweet potato and gently squeeze open. Remove part of the insides of the sweet potato reserving for a separate use or stir into chickpeas. Ladle chickpea mixture over sweet potato and serve with a sprinkle of cilantro.