Ingredients

The following ingredients have 3 Servings
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 3 1/2 cups soaked and cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 3 cups spinach or baby kale, tightly packed ((5 ounces))
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons roasted salted sunflower seeds ((optional topping))

Instruction

  • Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium till hot but not smoking. Place the mushroom slices into the pan. Let them fry undisturbed for 3 minutes. 
  • Stir and continue frying till the mushrooms are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add the red pepper flakes, basil, and paprika. If spice sensitive, start with just 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper-- you can always add more to taste later. I like it with a kick, so I add 1/2 tsp. Stir seasonings to coat the mushrooms. Add the garlic last. Stir and cook for 1 minute till fragrant.
  • Stir in the chickpeas till all ingredients are well combined. Let the chickpeas heat up for 2 minutes, stirring as they warm.
  • Pour 2 tbsp water into the bean and mushroom mixture and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place the fresh spinach or baby kale over the top of the chickpeas. It will seem like a lot of greens at first, but they will shrink up a lot as they cook.
  • Reduce heat to medium low. Cover the pan and allow spinach to cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until wilted. Stir the spinach into the chickpeas and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I usually use about 1/4 tsp of salt and a large pinch of pepper). Turn heat to medium and let the mixture continue to cook till excess liquid has evaporated.
  • Sprinkle with roasted sunflower seeds (optional) and serve. I serve chili pepper flakes on the side for my family so they can spice it more to taste, if desired.