It’s Fridayyyy!
Who’s having fun with their life over the next two and a half days?
I have plans every day this weekend, which is a little unusual for me but I am v excited about them all, since they include things like eating out at my favorite Indian restaurant (I started strategically planning my order last night – I take these things seriously), going to a play with my best girlfriends, hosting a baby shower for which I will be making beautiful fancy-pants toast and a pumpkin streusel bundt cake ♡, watching my little brother play football, and eating the leftovers of this bowl to do a clean eating reset between all my going-out meals.
I sort of can’t believe that Monday is Halloween and then Tuesday is NOVEMBER. November as in the month before December. How did this happen. Did life play a trick on us? And does November mean we are officially moving into the super cold season, and at what point is it acceptable to just put on my best sweats and stay inside 24/7 and call it winter?
I’m the kind of person who is always needing at least 3 pairs of thick socks, and who only ever eats hot to very hot food, and who talks to her husband about her need (NEED) for a hot tub on a daily basis. I really don’t love cold weather. But do you know what is kind of fun about cold weather? You can feel cozy. When we lived in the Philippines, I realized that without cold weather, you never get to feel cozy.
So as I’m bracing myself for November / winter / cold times ahead, I’m feeling 99% grateful for the opportunity to feel cozy with my sweats, thick socks, and a big glow bowl loaded with those spiced chickpeas. And also still 1% greedy for a hot tub. I NEEDZ A HOT TUB.
How To Make Our Spiced Chickpea Bowls:
So I’m super happy to be bringing this recipe / mashup / bowl situation to you today, guys.
Here’s what we have going on in this chickpea glow bowl:
Spiced chickpeas simmered in sauce fire-roasted tomatoes. Couscous, cooked and fluffed to perfection, or our old standby quinoa, depending on your clean eating goals (I’m kind of over quinoa at the moment, so couscous did the trick beautifully for me). Cucumber salad aka cucumbers, some lemon juice, olive oil, and herbs to the max –> hello mint, parsley, and cilantro. Plain yogurt or hummus for a side-sauce bonus, and toasted pita wedges if you’re okay working a little bit of wheat into your detox.
And just in case you need some ideas, here are the situations that a Spiced Chickpea Bowl could be considered useful in a normal person’s life:
You have been eating out a lot this week. (Hi, yes.) You are returning home from a trip or adventure where you ate really well, and by really well, I don’t mean really clean. (Me again.) You like to eat super healthy food that a) gives you lots of nutrition and b) doesn’t taste like broken hearts and shattered dreams. (Oooh, yes, over here!)
This is currently acting as my colder-weather go-to for a super nutritious, plant-based meal that is basically the same experience as me eating my favorite comfort food. Okay, fine, pizza might still stand in a category all its own, but other than that, I’d say this detox bowl can compete with the best of them.
Source notes: This recipe was previously titled “Detox Moroccan-Spiced Chickpea Glow Bowls” but was updated in August 2021 to better reflect and respect the cultural origins from which this dish came from. While this recipe uses some Moroccan-inspired spices, it is not a traditional Moroccan dish. Just deliciously spiced chickpeas stewed together with tomatoes and piled in a bowl with couscous, fresh herbs and veggies, and yogurt.
Quick and Easy Spiced Chickpea Bowls
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Spiced Chickpea Bowls: clean eating meets comfort food! vegetarian / vegan.
Ingredients
Spiced Chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon each – chili powder and cumin
- 1 teaspoon each – turmeric and garam masala
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- dash of each -cinnamon and cayenne (to taste)
- 2 14–ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 14–ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
Bowls:
- cucumbers
- couscous
- mint, parsley, cilantro
- yogurt or hummus
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- toasted pita wedges
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion; saute until soft. Add the garlic, spices, salt, and chickpeas – stir until very fragrant. Add the tomatoes (undrained) and simmer for 20 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
- Chop the cucumber, cook the couscous, and mince the herbs. Arrange bowls with desired amounts of all ingredients. Voila!
Notes
These are also very delicious as burritos. I am not joking. Wrap all those fillings up inside a large, warmed flour tortilla and be amazed.
Freezer Meal Version
- Freeze Together:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon each – chili powder and cumin
1 teaspoon each – turmeric and garam masala
1 teaspoon sea salt
dash of each – cinnamon and cayenne
2 14-ounce cans chickpeas (drained + rinsed)
2 14-ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes - Instant Pot Instructions: High pressure 15 mins + quick release
- Final Step: Serve in bowls with cucumbers, couscous, mint, parsley, cilantro, yogurt or hummus, olive oil, lemon juice, and toasted pita wedges.
- Check out our full freezer meal posts with all recipes and instructions here!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Moroccan-Inspired
Keywords: chickpea bowl, vegan chickpea bowl recipe, spiced chickpeas
Nutrition information is for 1/6th of the spiced chickpea mixture which is the base of the bowls. Because bowls vary greatly depending on what ingredients you like, you should factor in the amounts of any other ingredients that you add.
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One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of best healthy bowls. Check it out!