Coconut Braised Chickpeas w/ Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

To prepare your mise en place, first dice the onion and mince the garlic and ginger. Next, zest the lemon. Juice the lemon and reserve for later. Measure out the sun-dried tomatoes. *Note: If using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, make sure to drain them first. Lastly, drain (if using canned) and measure out the chickpeas. Rinse. Gather the chili flakes. To cook the dish, heat a large Dutch oven or deep sauté pan over medium heat, add the onions to the pan, moving around the pan allowing the sugars to be released until the onions are slightly golden and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water or vegetable stock to deglaze and pick up those sugars to caramelize onions and continue. Once onions are cooked, add the garlic and ginger and let cook for another minute or so. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and chili flakes. Let cook for another minute or so. Next, add the chickpeas and stir to coat in the tomato mixture. At this point, turn up the heat slightly and sort of fry the chickpeas a bit. Keep an eye on them though so they don't scorch. You just want them to have a little color. This should only take a few minutes.

Once the chickpeas are heated through, turn the heat down slightly and start to add the spinach, a handful at a time. *Note: If using baby spinach you can add it as is. If you are using regular spinach, you will need to chop or tear it up a bit. Once the first bunch of spinach has started to wilt, add in the next handful. Continue until all of the spinach has been added.

To finish the dish, add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Stir to combine and then add the ground ginger and a bit of the reserved lemon juice. Taste for seasoning. Add more lemon juice, and/or pepper as needed. Once everything has heated through, serve immediately. The spinach will start to lose its color and it won't look as nice. Serve it with brown rice or any grain of your choice. Garnish each plate with a healthy serving of fresh cilantro and enjoy!