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Oftentimes, simple is best. I am learning that the best recipes – and most successful Test Kitchen Tuesdays – are those that revolve around very simple ideas and flavor combinations.
So, when I stumbled upon this idea for Teriyaki Chickpeas over at The Happy Herbivore, I had a good feeling it would go over well with 2Chili. He likes chickpeas, and he loves teriyaki – there wasn’t much room to go wrong!
I ended up using the idea of the original recipe and modifying it quite a bit to take advantage of a few random veggies laying around from our produce box. Okay, the only thing the same is that it uses chickpeas, but, the idea was brilliant! 2Chili’s main concern when he asked about the creation of the dinner and I told him I had sort of free-styled based on an idea was quite literally:
“Oh no! Will you remember how to make it again?!”
Yeah, I’d say this was a hit.
Teriyaki Pineapple Chickpeas
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Original Recipe Inspiration: The Happy Herbivore
Serves: 4
Time Required: 15 minutes, start-to-finish, assuming you’re using canned beans and quick rice. I used dried beans and long grain rice I made over the weekend.
Skill Level (out of 5): 1
2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 5
It is rare for 2Chili to take seconds of dinner – he’s conscientious about calories like me – but he had a full second serving of this dinner with brown rice. And he doesn’t “like” brown rice.
The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 5
This was awesome, plain and simple. And, took 15 minutes. Can’t beat that!
Ingredients:
- 1 can chickpeas, or 2 shy cups if prepared from dried – drained and rinsed, ¼ cup bean water reserved to use in sauce
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 1 small can diced pineapple and 2 tablespoons juice reserved to use in sauce
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 shallots, diced
- 4-5 scallions, diced
- 1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
Method:
- Add all ingredients except the corn starch to a large pan and let sit and marinate for 5-10 minutes (this includes the bean water and pineapple juice)
- Heat over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly
- For the last minute, add the dissolved cornstarch and bring to a low boil until the sauce reaches your desired consistency and most of the liquid has absorbed
- Serve with brown rice or quinoa
Nutrition:
For ¼ of recipe, without rice.
The Verdict: Oh yeah, this will be in our rotation. Easy and tasty, and a 2Chili pleaser to boot!