Spinach and Chickpea Saute

The cold weather has well and truly set in here in the North West. In the cold weather, sometimes a sandwich just isn’t going to “hit the spot” for lunch. Here’s a quick, easy and cheap lunch idea when you feel like something hot. It’s a great recipe as it has two powerhouse ingredients- chickpeas and spinach.

Spinach is loaded with calcium, folic acid, vitamin K and iron. It also contains vitamin c, fibre and carotenoids. It’s easy to use in lots of different types of recipes and cooks fairly quickly.

Chickpeas are not only a great source of protein but also contain carbohydrate.The beauty is that it’s a low GI carbohydrate.

For a lunch that will make you feel fuller for longer, its a winner!

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 red onions, sliced thinly
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 × 400g can chickpeas, drained
• 200g (7oz) baby leaf spinach
• juice of one lemon

Method

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the cumin seeds, red onions and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Rinse the chickpeas, stir in and season with salt and pepper.
Remove from the heat. Add the spinach and the lemon juice and toss to mix well.
Enjoy straight away – good hot or cold, for lunch or as a side dish

(serves 4/142 cals per serve)

For something different…

Try adding bacon, like in our photo