Chole Palak (Chickpea Curry with Spinach)

WOW!  This is all I can say about this phenomenal dish.  I had some spinach that was going to go bad and needed something to do something with it. I wasn't overly inspired so I spent some time on the web searching for something new and exciting...the result was fabulous.  Hubby and I both absolutely LOVE Indian food and are always excited to try something new.

This recipe combined many healthy and delicious ingredients resulting in a spicy, flavourful, nutritious dish that  I will definitely make again and again.

Chole Palak 

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
3 cups spinach, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, cubed
1/2" piece of ginger root. cubed
1 green chili (deseeded if you want a milder dish)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp garam masala (available in the spice aisle in most supermarkets)

-Drain and rinse the chickpeas, set aside.
-In a blender or magic bullet or similar, blend the tomatoes, green chili, and ginger to make a puree. Set aside.
-Heat the oil, over medium, in a large saucepan (with lid).
-Drop one cumin seed into the oil, the oil is hot enough if the seed sizzles.  Once pan is hot enough, add all the cumin seeds. Fry for a few seconds.
-Add the tomato puree, coriander, turmeric, chili powder.  Cook until the oil starts to separate and the mixture reduces by about half (about 4 minutes).
-Add spinach, salt, and 1/2 cup water.  Cover, cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
-Add chickpeas. Mash some chickpeas slightly - this will thicken the sauce.
-Reduce pan to low and cook an additional 8 minutes.  You may wish to add about another half cup water if it starts to get too dry.
-Add garam masala and cook for another 1 minute.
Serve with naan, roti, or other bread if desired.

This made about 4 smallish servings.  (But, the calories are low enough to have seconds! ;-) )

Nutrition Info for 1/4 of the batch:
223 Calories | 12g fat | 22g Carbs (5g fibre, 2g sugar) | 7g Protein

**I found that having everything ready before I started preparing this made it go very smoothly.  I had all the veggies chopped/pureed, the spices measured and the whole thing took just over 30 mins.  Really quick and super awesome.