Apricot Chickpeas

This is my favourite cookbook at the moment: Company's Coming Healthy in a Hurry

It is awesome because the meals really are healthy, and they are also easy, which is great since I have returned to work and it's nice to have something that I can whip up quickly at the end of a day.  Some of the recipes use shortcuts to save on time (such as canned sweet potatoes...yuck), but I figure that if I want to make one of those recipes, I can just plan to have it on a night that I have more time (and I can cook the potatoes myself...yum).

Anyway, I recently tried the "Polynesian Apricot Chicken" recipe, but since I don't eat chicken, I made it with CHICKpeas instead, and I served it over couscous (but rice, quinoa, pasta, barley, etc would also be great).

I admit that I was a little skeptical about soaking the dried apricots, but I was REALLY pleased with how it turned out, and I will definitely be making this again.

Apricot-Chickpea sauce, simmering away

So, here it is...

Apricot Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

Ingredients:

3/4 C dried apricots, quartered

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 can chickpeas (I prefer to use No Salt Added, or use dried chickpeas that I have soaked and cooked myself)

1 1/2 C chopped onion

1 C chopped green pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp finely grated ginger root

1/2 tsp chili powder (or, if you have it, Epicure's Louisana Hot n Spicy)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

14 oz can diced tomatoes (with juice)

Directions:

1) Put apricot into small heatproof bowl.  Cover with boiling water.  Stir.  Cover.  Set aside.

2) Heat olive oil in large frying pan on medium.  Add next 7 ingredients to the frying pan.  Stir.  Cook, covered, for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until green pepper is tender crisp.

3) Drain apricot.  Add to green pepper mixture.  Add tomatoes (with juice).  Stir.  Increase heat to medium-high.  Boil gently, uncovered, for about 10 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened.  Serves 4.