Curried Chickpea and Black Bean Stew

The kids have nighttime VBS this week, which generally puts a damper on dinner plans, so tonight I made a fast and easy meal I found on the Cheap Healthy Good blog. It was so simple and so good, I just had to share.

I previously mentioned the jump in meat prices around here lately, so when Kris posted this vegetarian recipe recently, I knew it was a dish we had to try. Bringing a meatless meal to the table would be an interesting and frugal alternative to the norm, plus the meal consisted of many things already in my pantry, making preparation so simple.

Largely a bean soup, this meal is so cost-effective. I picked up the curry and cumin very inexpensively at my local grocery store by shopping in the section of Mexican foods instead of on the spice aisle. I bought the ginger root and cilantro at Sprouts for next to nothing. This recipe was so delicious that my carnivorous husband said this is a meal I should make more often -- even the kids asked for seconds!

Recipe and Preparation Instructions:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger root
4 teaspoons curry powder
¼ tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Add onion and ginger root; sauté 3 minutes or until tender.
Stir in curry powder; cook an additional minute.
Add tomatoes; cook 1 minute or until mixture is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
Add salt, black beans, and chickpeas; stir well.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in fresh parsley and lemon juice. Serve warm.

Optional:

Serve over rice, crispy tortillas, or both. Delicious additions!

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
277.5 calories, 4.4 g fat, $0.82





According to Kris at Cheap Healthy Good, here's the cost breakdown:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil: 88 calories, 10 g fat, $0.04
1 cup chopped onion: 67 calories, 0.1 g fat, $0.16
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger root: 5 calories, 0 g fat, $0.06
4 teaspoons curry powder: 13 calories, 0.5 g fat, $0.20
¼ tsp ground cumin: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained: 82 calories, 0 g fat, $0.89
1/8 teaspoon salt: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
1 (15-ounce) can black beans: 328 calories, 1.6 g fat, $0.50
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas: 507 calories, 4.9 g fat, $0.50
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro): 14 calories, 0.3 g fat, $0.66
1 tablespoon lemon juice: 6 calories, 0 g fat, $0.25
TOTAL: 1110 calories, 17.4 g fat, $3.28
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 277.5 calories, 4.4 g fat, $0.82

My total cost was slightly higher because we ate our stew with steamed brown rice and some crispy tortillas (corn tortillas quickly browned in a tiny bit vegetable oil). Even with the additions, the cost was less than $1.00/serving, particularly since I bought the beans for a quarter a can. NOTE: I doubled the recipe to feed a very hungry family of five, but on a regular less-hungry day, the four-serving recipe plus rice may have been enough for us all.