Chickpeas are definitely my favourite legume. I don’t know what it is about them. If I had my way, they are the only legume I would ever eat. But eating the same thing all the time definitely isn’t ideal, so I force myself to buy different types of legumes and I never let myself make two batches of chickpeas in a row. I make a batch of beans every week or so, and I usually alternate between chickpeas and whatever other type of bean caught my eye last.
The week I made this was chickpea week. Yay! My partner wasn’t feeling well, so I made this dish with lots of healing ingredients – tons of garlic, ginger, turmeric, and medicinal mushrooms. I was originally planning on making my chana masala recipe (which will be shared eventually) but decided to throw this together instead for a change. I’m glad I did, it turned out really well!
The mushroom mix we usually buy at the farmers market includes shiitake, crimini, oyster, beech, and portobellini. Sometimes when we’re feeling fancy we buy the basket that’s $1 more with king oyster and maitake. Mushrooms are an incredible healing food; among many other benefits, they help to support immune function. It’s a very complicated subject, but basically medicinal mushrooms help to modulate the immune system. They stimulate white blood cell activity when needed, but can also down-regulate the same activity when appropriate. Mushrooms are amazing!
mixed mushroom & spinach chickpea scramble
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Nicole
Category: Main Dish
Makes: 3-4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 8 cloves of garlic, chopped (or less, to taste)
- 1 inch turmeric root, minced
- 1 inch ginger root, minced
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- sea salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 organic red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (if you’re using canned, Eden is a great choice)
- 1 large organic tomato, diced
- couple handfuls of mixed mushrooms; whole, quartered, or halved depending on size
- couple handfuls of organic spinach
Directions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add garlic, turmeric, and ginger, sauté 1-2 minutes. Stir in cumin seeds, salt, and pepper.
- Add red pepper and cook a few minutes until beginning to soften. Stir in the chickpeas, then add the tomato. Cover with a lid and let cook 5 minutes. Remove the lid and spend a minute gently mashing the chickpeas. I used a muddler, but anything will do. You only want to break up a few chickpeas and mash them into the tomatoes, don’t go too crazy. Most of the chickpeas should still be in tact. Gently stir in the mushrooms and cover for 5 minutes or so, until the mushrooms have cooked through.
- Remove the lid and stir in the spinach until just wilted. Remove from heat and season to taste.
Notes & Substitutions
nightshade-free // omit pepper and tomato, or replace with whatever vegetables you want
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