On January 2, I started a 21-day health and fitness challenge. Part of it is eating a vegan diet.  I’ve been researching and doing meal prep to make sure I stick to the plan. I’ve also been going through my regular recipes to see how I can veganize (I don’t think that’s a real word) them.

One that was easy to change with this Chicken & Chickpea Daar recipe. Make a couple of adjustments and you have yourself a delicious, protein-filled, vegan dinner that the whole family will enjoy.

Vegan Chickpea Curry

Ingredients:
– 1.5 tbsp of oil, olive or canola
– 1/2 of a 28fl oz can of crushed tomatoes
– 1 tsp of dhana jeeru (a ground cumin and coriander mix)
– 1/4 heaping tsp of haldi (turmeric)
– 1 tsp minced garlic
– 1 tsp minced ginger
– 1 tsp salt (you can add more or less to taste)
– 4 fistfuls of fried onions (you can buy in in the ethnic isle of a grocery store)
– 3 tbsp of fresh chopped cilantro
– 1 can of chickpeas

Instructions:
1. In a large pot, add the oil, crushed tomatoes, dhana jeeru, haldi, garlic, ginger and salt. Heat it on high and mix for a few minutes until well combined.

2. Add all the fried onions and then reduce the heat to medium.

3. Put in 3 tbsp of chopped fresh chopped cilantro and mix it well. Let it cook for a couple minutes on medium.

4. While it’s cooking,  drain and wash your chickpeas. Put them in a blender. Add a can of water in and then blend. The chickpeas should be blended completely and a little runny.

5. Add the blended chickpeas to the pot and stir in well. If the consistency is really thick, you can add up to 1/2 a cup of water. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to medium/low. Let it simmer for 10 minutes and then the Vegan Chickpea Curry is ready.
(Sometimes I’ll take half of the mixture and blend it again to get a better consistency and then mix it back in with the rest.)

Serve it on top of basmati rice or cooked quinoa.  Garnish with  fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!