Since I have some chickpeas left over and I wanted to add to my repertoire of vegan recipes, I am doing a chickpea dish. I’m doing this for my sister-in-law too. One of the things I noticed when she cooked for us was the lack of protein in the dish. Everyone should eat enough protein. Especially as you get older. I’m hoping this will help her make things more balanced in that regard.

The recipe for this week is for Vegan White Chickpea Chili from Moon and Spoon and Yum. The only two issues I see with this recipe is that the calories are too low and there is very little protein. Those are easy to fix. I like my soups to be an entire meal and have plenty of protein.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I swapped out the regular canned chickpeas with a low sodium variety to lower the sodium. Then added an extra can to increase the protein
• I replaced the full fat coconut milk with a light variety to reduce the calories and saturated fat.
• I added green bell pepper to increase the vitamin C.
• I added spinach to increase the vitamin A.
• I increased the servings from 4 to 6 to lower the calories.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Vegan White Chickpea Chili

Serves 6

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
• 1 white or yellow onion finely chopped
• ½ cup corn kernels fresh or frozen
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 1 4-ounce can diced green Hatch chiles
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained
• 1 13.5-ounce can low fat coconut milk save can
• 2 cans water fill the coconut milk can with water two times
• 10 ounces baby spinach
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for garnishing
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

1. In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil, onion, green bell pepper, corn, garlic, and jalapeno.
2. Saute, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until all begins to soften and turn golden.
3. Add the can of green chiles, cumin seeds, paprika, oregano, sugar, garlic powder, and cayenne.
4. Stir well, and cook for 2 minutes longer or until the spices smell very fragrant.
5. Turn the heat to high, then add the chickpeas, coconut milk, and water.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
7. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the much of the liquid has evaporated and the chili is the consistency you prefer.
8. Add in spinach and cook until wilted.
9. Turn off the heat, and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.