Cauliflower & Garbanzo Bean Stew
Stews are food hugs.
August 26, 2020
This dish to me screams homey. It’s the type of food that is not only cooked at home but that is shared. The kind of food that has been cooked time and time again in the same worn-out pot and is offered to whomever is welcomed into your home. Unpretentious and wholesome, the stew wants you to come back for seconds.
This is what I associate with the idea of “real food’’, whatever that means. But for me it means something that is layered with flavor and needs time to develop all of its characteristics. Much like my lentil recipe, real food needs to be a little runny in order to coat my rice. That’s the sweet spot. That’s what makes it real.
The base of this stew is tomato. The tomato is what lends the rich, red color and base flavor. With a combo of fresh tomatoes and tomato paste you have your foundation to build off of. I like this recipe because you get a little of everything to make it a well balanced meal- veggies, protein, fluffy rice (!), and spice. What more could you ask for? Aaaaand, it’s vegan. I developed this recipe as I do many, by freestyling with the ingredients I have lying around. I unintentionally made it vegan since largely what I buy tends to be plant based- except for butter, crema, and eggs that I always have on hand. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again- I LOVE WHEN MY FOOD IS VEGAN and enjoy it just as much as if it weren’t. It’s a total win-win for me. And did you know garbanzo beans are one of the richest forms of plant-based proteins you could have?
My pepper of choice is always jalapeño. It has the best balance of flavor and spice for me. If spicy food isn’t your thing just leave out the peppers and the dish is no less delicious. With all the other flavors of garlic, cilantro, thyme, etc there’s plenty going on for it to be a flavor bomb.
Spicy or not, I hope you share a big pot of this stew with people close to you.
Cauliflower & Garbanzo Bean Stew Recipe
Serves: 4
Cook time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Oil (any neutral flavor kind)- 4 tablespoons
Yellow onion (medium size)- half, small dice
Garlic cloves- 6, mince
Jalapeños- 2, medium dice
Cauliflower- quarter head, cut into small florets Tomato paste- 3 tablespoons
Roma tomatoes- 3, medium dice
Canned chickpeas 15.5 oz- drained and rinsed
Bouillon of your choice- 1 cube or 1 tablespoon if granulatedCilantro- 6 stems with leaves
Thyme- 7 sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a medium/ large pot on medium heat add your oil. Once hot, add your onion, garlic, jalapeños, and cauliflower stirring every so often until it’s all softened. This should take 5-7 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Scoot the veggies to the side of the pot and put the tomato paste in the center move it around allowing it to cook a bit. About 2 minutes.
Add your fresh tomatoes and garbanzo beans and stir everything just until mixed.
Add 5 cups of water, the bouillon and a bit more salt and pepper, give it all a good stir and turn the heat up to medium/ high heat.
In a bundle, place the cilantro and thyme right on top of the stew. This is so its flavor can permeate the stew and you can easily remove it once it’s done cooking.
Allow everything to cook for about 30 minutes, or until it has reached your desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as you wish.
Meanwhile, cook up some rice. I like jasmine rice, but any kind would be delicious.
ENJOY!