One of my favourite kitchen rituals is cooking up a big pot of chickpeas. I love that I can flavour them however I like, onion, garlic, spices, ginger, bay leaf etc.

I love that I’m in charge of what ingredients are in them – as opposed to can with a bunch of sodium and random ingredients.

I love that to make a pot of chickpeas you simply add them to a pot with water, leave the to simmer and walk away. It honestly cannot get any easier than this.

I share how I make a pot of chickpeas and beans in my free ebook, but I also want you to know that I freeze them in a giant snap lock bag. When I’m ready to cook with some, I simply remove them from the freezer and bash the bag against the bench to break them up. Then they’re ready to cook with.

I used to make this spiced chickpea dish for my catering clients. It was with a wild curry powder or garam masala, sultanas, goat cheese and a jammy egg with lots of different greens. There were never any complaints, it was a spin on Middle Eastern with a serving of gooey egg and goat cheese – who could possibly complain?

I made flatbreads yesterday and I wanted to eat the leftover today with another veggie heavy meal. Cue this quick 5 minute dish. I filmed a video to go with it and talked through what I was pairing it with – it was an awesome summery take on a dish that I got a little sick of making on repeat. I’m glad time heals all wounds I can get back to enjoying this favourite dish of mine (and not have to make hundreds of serves).

Spiced chickpeas

Serves 2 as a side

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 red onion

• A good pinch of salt

• 1/2 zucchini

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas

• 1 teaspoon curry powder or garam masala or a mix of cumin, cinnamon and garlic powder

• Pepper

• 2 handfuls rocket

• 1 cucumber chopped

• 1/2 carrot, julienne

• 1 nectarine

• 1 tbsp currants

• 1/2 avocado

• 2 tbsp coconut yoghurt

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Apple cider vinegar

• 2 leftover flatbreads

Method

1. Heat pan on medium heat and add oil.

2. Dice onion and add to pan with a pinch of salt, cook for 5 minutes.

3. Dice zucchini and add to pan with chickpeas and stir to combine, cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add spices and pepper, mix to combine and cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Watch the pan doesn’t get too dry and burn.

5. Combine salad ingredients onto plate and top with chickpeas.

6. Heat leftover flatbread in pan for 2 minutes each side.

7. Serve with a dollop of coconut yoghurt, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and extra salt and pepper.