You know I love a fuss-free recipe, especially for my weekday rotation and this walk-away Chickpea Tomato and Spinach Curry is just that. Throw the ingredients in to a pot and walk away. The resulting vegan curry is full-bodied and loaded with gorgeous spiced flavours.
My four year-old is suffering from her first broken heart and yes, it’s all for a boy. Last night I held her little body as she shed a bucket of tears for a little man who has made her feel safe, brave and wanted in her first year of kindergarten. This gorgeous soul let her pretend to be a kitten and hid with her under tables while she curled in to his lap. He played husband when she wanted to play house and let her operate on him whenever she fancied being a doctor. I am so happy she met such a sweet and kind spirit. Alas, he is an older man and next year is off to primary school while our girl will do another year of pre-school. The Elf is a January baby, you see, and she is heartbroken she won’t be going through with him and her other friends.
We could send her through. My heart wants to send her through. My head, however, is trying to hold tight to all the research and advice from her teachers that an extra year will help her not only survive her school years but thrive. Oh, but the tears! They are so pitiful and I want to make everything better. This parenting thing blows sometimes.
What does this have to do with chickpea tomato and spinach curry?
Not a thing but it is where my head and heart are at and all I want is for everyone to tell me that we are making the right choice for our child. She will miss all her friends when they move on to school but the bigger picture is that another year will serve her better in the long run. That’s the theory anyway. And so, as we get closer to the end of the year the tears flow.
Arghhhh…enough. Let’s talk about this curry before I tear up too.
I adore this chickpea tomato and spinach curry.
- it’s healthful
- it’s simple
- you don’t need any cooking skills to speak of
- it’s full-bodied and delicious and
- it freezes well.
Did I mention the walking away part? Perfect for busy weeknight dinners or those nights when you’re all turned around thinking how you broke your kid’s heart, this curry takes a few quick stirs and you’re off. Off to read a magazine. Off for a quick cup of tea. Off to wallow.
I’m joking. Sort of. The point is, you’ll have the time. Once the juicy cherry tomatoes are bathed in Indian spices and begin to blister and the chickpeas are added with coconut milk and stock, you can reduce the heat and walk away. Come back 40-minutes later to add some fresh baby spinach and dinner is served. If you love a good curry and you love your meals fuss-free and delicious, try this walk-away chickpea tomato and spinach curry. For the nights you need to walk away.
Enjoy x.
If you try this dish, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #mygoodnesskitchen on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. I hope you love this curry as much as my family does ! Cheers, friends.
If you like this, you might like to check out these:
Walk-Away Chickpea, Tomato and Spinach Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 400 grams cherry tomatoes, halved approx 2 punnets
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 480 grams cooked chickpeas cooked or 2 cans (drained)
- 400 ml coconut milk 1 can
- 200 ml vegetable stock 1/2 can
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 3 cups cooked quinoa or rice to serve
- chilli flakes to serve optional
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil in a heavy-based pot over medium heat and add the garlic and tomatoes. Stir in the garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, ginger, tomato paste and sea salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas and stir through to coat. Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock and bring the mixture up to a boil. Reduce the heat as low as you can and cook with the pot lid off for approximately 40 minutes or until the sauce is thick and creamy. Stir in the baby spinach and allow it to wilt gently.
- Remove the curry from the heat and serve with a smattering of chilli flakes and cooked rice or quinoa.
A long story short, my mom held me back from advancing (with excellent grades) to third grade so I could go through school with kids my own age instead of being the youngest. I am 67 years old and I still resent being held back for, as I see it, no good reason. All through school, my friends were the older kids and I dated older boys. If your daughter has the self-assurance and intellectual ability to keep up, please let her. We seem to be far more driven by arbitrary numbers rather than the individual.
Hi Marlene, Thanks so much for sharing your story. I appreciate it. Staying back clearly impacted your life. We have opted to have our daughter do another year at kindergarten for the reasons you have described – we don’t want to keep her back after she starts primary school. She is a clever girl but is a pretty shy kid and gravitates towards adults instead of spending time with other kids. We looked at her situation and personality and decided it was kinder for us to give her another year of kindergarten (she has a few friends doing the same)… Read more »
This was really tasty, I appreciated you including measurements that those of us in the USA could use. My tip would be Don’t put a cover on (I know it doesn’t say too but I did out of habit) I couldn’t figure out why it was so watery until I took the cover off and let it cook down. I also put a pinch of pepper in to get the full benefits of the curry/tumeric. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Yvonne. Thanks for the great feedback. I will make a wee note in the recipe to clarify the lid being left off – I do it naturally but that doesn’t mean everyone else does.Thanks for the heads up. I haven’t added pepper to mine before but I might next time. Thanks for the tip!
Oh you poor girl, what a decision to have to make! Here, we have no choice. My January baby started school aged 4 and just sailed through with all the others. In her case, it worked just fine, she was generally at or near the top of the class and enjoyed herself. She got her PhD last year. But all children are different, and you are the best judge of what will suit your precious daughter best. Heartbreak is a terrible thing at any age, and I feel for you. Good luck with it x
Oh, thank you Christine. I love hearing that your daughter is doing so well. My Elf is a smart girl and I think will do well in school too. She is socially shy and I am trying to weigh up whether a year will help her feel more confident. Arghhh. Thank you so much for reaching out, I appreciate it so much. x
Oh, my heart! You are definitely doing the right thing by your girl, she will be fine and will make lots of new friends. And then when she does go to primary school she will be fierce! This curry is perfect and thanks for sharing your grocery list in your email, that is so helpful x
Oh, my friend. I needed to hear that – I am wrestling with this so much. Thank you. xx I am so glad you are around again and I LOVE the new look site. It looks wonderful.