Original Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens: Braised Chickpeas with Mid-Summer Vegetables

One of the things I like to do is find and interesting recipe and make it fit our lifestyle. The Better Homes and Garden recipe had some great things going for it. However, I had to do something about the tomatoes, because Tony and I can’t eat them. Cooked chicken breast for a slow cooker meals is only good if you have cooked chicken (which I do not). Frozen corn is substituted for fresh. The rest of the ingredients are ok. Here are the original stats for the recipe which serves 6:

• 362 Calories
• 10g Fat
• 37mg Cholesterol
• 454mg Sodium
• 978mg Potassium
• 48g Carbohydrates
• 25g of Protein
• 115% Vitamin A
• 47% Vitamin C
• 10% Calcium
• 24% Iron

These stats don’t work for our diet. The calorie count is too high. We like dished less than 300 calories. The carbohydrates are at a good level and so is the protein and vitamin A. The vitamin C could be higher. Here’s what I changed:

• Deleted the tomato and added 3 red bell peppers
• Replaced the baby carrots with three large carrots
• Replaced the fresh corn with one 12oz bag of frozen corn
• Replaced the cooked chicken with 1lb 4oz raw chicken breast
• Increased the servings to 9

Here are the stats for the dish I’m making today:

• 290 Calories
• 7g Fat
• 30mg Cholesterol
• 323mg Sodium
• 745mg Potassium
• 40g Carbohydrates
• 20g Protein
• 109% Vitamin A
• 61% Vitamin C
• 7% Calcium
• 16% Iron

Here is my upgraded version of this recipe:

Serves 9

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary
• 2 15oz cans of low-sodium Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 pound Red Potato
• 4 cups of Baby Spinach
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 4 cups low-sodium Chicken Broth
• 8oz Zucchini cut into ¼ inch slices
• 3 large Carrots, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
• 3 Red Bell Peppers, chopped
• 1 pound 4 ounces boneless skinless Chicken Breast
• 1 12oz package of frozen Sweet Corn

1. In a large resealable plastic bag combine garbanzo beans, rosemary, oil, pepper and garlic. Seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 2 days.
2. Place undrained marinated chickpeas in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add red bell peppers, chicken, potatoes, carrots, and onion. Pour broth over vegetables in cooker.
3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.
4. Add in the frozen corn and zucchini. Cover and heat through. Just before serving, add spinach. Stir until spinach wilts.