Garlic chilli chickpeas with lemon

When my children get back from school my kitchen gets really busy and I find that having a simple goto recipe which is delicious and quick to get onto a plate is a must.

Ingredients for 2 servings

240g	chickpeas, drained
1-2	garlic clove
1	chilli, sliced, seeds or no seeds up to you
1	lemon
300g	sweet potato
10g	fresh coriander
150g	peppers, sliced
150g	mushrooms, sliced
70g	avocado
150g	tomatoes
100g	cucumber
40g	spring onion
6g	olive oil
6g	extra virgin olive oil
	salt and pepper

(Example ingredient amounts given, adjust accordingly to your requirements)

Method

• Pre-heat your oven to 190°C fan/400°F and line a baking sheet with non stick foil.
• Cut the sweet potato into 1cm thick slices and arrange the slices onto the baking sheet.
• Place the baking sheet into the oven to bake, this should take only 30 minutes.
• Cut the tomatoes and cucumber into chunks and place them into a bowl.
• Thinly slice the spring onion and place it into the bowl with the tomato and cucumber before tearing the coriander and adding that too.
• Add a little seasoning to the bowl, thoroughly mix and refrigerate until needed.
• Take a large frying pan and place it onto a high heat.
• When the pan is hot, add the sliced mushroom along with a little sprinkle of salt.  This is going to help the mushroom release it’s own juices so you don’t need to add any oil.
• After a few minutes the mushrooms will start to soften and at this point add the sliced peppers and leave to cook for a few more minutes until the peppers start to soften, then remove the vegetables from the pan.
• Turn down the heat and place the pan back onto the heat.
• Add the olive oil to the pan along with the sliced garlic and chilli so that you infuse the oil without burning them.
• Add the drained chickpeas to the pan along with the juice from 1 lemon.
• After a couple of minutes the lemon juice will evaporate leaving behind slightly crispy and sticky chickpeas.
• When the sweet potato is cooked, it’s time to get everything onto the plate.
• Add the sweet potato, tomato salad, chickpeas and mushroom and pepper mix onto the plate.
• Top with a few slices of avocado before adding a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to finish.
• Delicious served hot or cold!

Notes

• • Feel free to double up on the ingredients to have more ready for another meal.  Each element of this recipe would be a great side dish served later in the week.
  • I’ve chosen to keep this dish plant based, but it would also be great topped with a little grilled halloumi or crumbled feta.