Curried Chickpeas with Habanero Mango Chutney

Meal #1 of the Spring Health Challenge was a success. It wasn’t really any different from regular meals, but as it is fairly healthy and inexpensive, I made a huge batch for freezing. Adding protein to my diet? Check! Drinking more water? Check! Going for a run and doing strength training? Check!

I can honestly say I am feeling better already. That might also have something to do with being done with the nasty old flu. . . I hope.

Anyway, I am always up for Indian-inspired food at home, and I was jonesing to use the slow-cooker. Thus was born slow cooker curried chickpeas with mango chutney.

My recent discovery that dried beans cook up really well in the slow-cooker made me brave enough to just toss in a 16 ounce bag of chickpeas, covered by about an inch and a half of water. To this, I added a couple shakes each of cinnamon, cayenne pepper, curry powder, paprika, black pepper, and crushed coriander seeds. I also added a can of crushed tomatoes, a scoop of coconut oil, and six potatoes, sliced into discs.

I set it and forget it, leaving the chickpeas to cook on high for four hours, then lowering them to low for three more hours. I checked on them about every hour and added more water and crushed red pepper toward the end.

I didn’t want to just have the curried chickpeas on their own, so I decided to whip up some mango chutney as well. I started with two cups of frozen mango and added it to a pan with two habaneros, just chopped in half.

I covered the mixture with white vinegar, added a spoonful of honey for sweetness to balance out the habanero spice, and cooked the chutney on low for a little over an hour.

Eventually, it got syrupy and smelled lovely. Just be sure to strain the habaneros out before serving!

To serve, I filled bowls with the chickpeas, chutney, and topped it with a scoop of Fage 0% Greek yogurt, served with a glass of Travessia Un-Oaked Chardonnay.

The husband said it was better than Indian food at any restaurant we have been to; I will take that as a sign of success!

Now for the giveaways: The winner of the $30 CSN gift code is. . . Melissa! And the winner of the restaurant gift cards giveaway is. . . Shannon! Ladies, please email me so I can match you up with your prizes!