Pumpkin Chickpea Smash
Happy new year friends,
I hope that the new year period was kind to you all and that you made some super realistic New Years resolutions like we talked about in my last blog.
Everyone knows that a new year is a brand new opportunity to start fresh and to get on track with starting the year off on a positive note.
That means getting yourself into some good habits to see you throughout the year. And one in particular that is super important is MEAL PREP.
Meal prep for me just means pretending like I'm cooking for 5 other people... I generally always buy a heap of groceries with planned meals in mind, that will feed me for a few days. I don't see the point in cooking a meal that will only last me one night.
So this next dish I'm about to give you guys, I have been making for nearly two years now. It's one of the favourites in my memory bank... I have cooked it for more people that I can count and it is always a crowd pleaser.
It is also wonderful for meal prep because it can serve anywhere between 4 and 6 people.
This meal is packed with plant based protein and healthy carbs and will leave you feeling super satisfied. I hope you all like it.
Pumpkin and Chickpea Smash:
Serves: 4-6
Hint:
You will need a very large pan or pot for this recipe as it feeds a lot of people.
Ingredients:
1/4 (800g) kent pumpkin cubed
1 medium sweet potato cubed (650g)
4 large carrots cut into 1 cm pieces (350g)
2 punnets of cherry tomatoes halved (500g)
2 cups of baby spinach Leaves roughly chopped
1 tsp of turmeric
2 tbsp (30ml) of powdered chicken stock (massel is vegan)
2 cups of boiling water
2 tsp dried rosemary
2 tins of organic chickpeas
1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbs olive oil
Optional 1 brown onion diced
Method:
Start by cubing all of the vegetables.
Heat 1 tbs of Olive Oil in a deep pan on medium heat. Add the garlic and stir.
Add the carrots, turmeric and the rosemary and cook for 5 minutes with the lid on.
Prepare the stock with the boiling water and add to pan.
Add the Sweet potato and the pumpkin and cover. Let it cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are starting to soften.
Remove lid and simmer the dish so that the liquid evaporates.
Add the chickpeas and stir.
Add in the cherry tomatoes and stir.
Add in the spinach and stir.
Cook until the vegetables are all soft and mushy.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serving:
This dish can be served by itself, as a big hearty bowl or served with steamed broccolini and some quinoa.
There you have it, one of my favourite prep meals to make.
Happy cooking lovelys,
Steph xx