Thai Chickpea Almond Curry

While this bakes, you will be enchanted with the aromatic mingling of nutty coconut sauce infused with lime, ginger, and curry. It is a deeply flavorful dish that is also almost effortless in preparation. Everything comes together lickety-split and you have an exotic bean entrée to serve over rice. Recipe reprinted from Let Them Eat Vegan* by Dreena Burton (Da Capo, ©2012), by permission. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky.

Serves: 4 to 5, depending on accompaniments

Sauce:

• 1 medium to large clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon sea salt (plus another few pinches, if desired)
• 2½ to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 (14-ounce) can “lite” coconut milk
• ¼ cup almond butter
• ½ tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• 1½ tablespoons peeled and roughly chopped fresh ginger
• 1½ to 2 teaspoons red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
  or your favorite hot seasoning, like Sriracha sauce
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  (optional; or use more if you like the heat!)

Chickpea mixture:

• 2 (14-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (3¾ to 4 cups)
• 2 cups zucchini that has been halved or quartered
  lengthwise (depending on thickness) and sliced about
  ¼ inch thick (see note)
• ¾ cup green onion (mostly white bottom portion,
  but some green as well)
• 2 dried or fresh kaffir lime leaves (optional)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil, basil,
  or cilantro, for garnish (optional)
• A few lime wedges, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. First prepare the sauce: In a blender, or using a deep large cup and an immersion blender, combine the garlic, ½ teaspoon of the salt, lime juice, coconut milk, almond butter, tamari, ginger, and curry paste. Puree well. Pour the sauce into a baking dish (8 by 12-inch, or similar size) and stir in the red pepper flakes. Add the chickpeas, zucchini, green onions, and lime leaves (if using), and stir well.
3. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Then remove the foil, stir, and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes uncovered. (Note that the sauce should thicken but can become too thick, so keep an eye on it, and remove once it begins to thicken, so it is does not become pasty.)
4. Add a few pinches of salt to taste, if desired. Serve, topping the portions with fresh herbs, if desired, and with a lime wedge on the side.

Variations: Almond butter is my first choice in this recipe, but consider switching it up occasionally with natural peanut or cashew butter in place of the almond.

Feel free to substitute other veggies in part or in whole for the zucchini. I love zucchini, so it is a natural choice for me. Other veggies to consider are sliced red peppers (and these add a lovely color), chopped cauliflower, steamed potatoes, or snow peas.

Dreena Burton is the author of Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan* and other books. For more of Dreena’s recipes, visit her blog.

• Here are more of VegKitchen’s Vegan Dinner Recipes and
  more Main Dishes Featuring Grains and/or Beans.
• Here are more recipes for bean stews and chilies.
• Here are more easy bean main dishes.

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