
EQUIPMENT
- Slow Cooker
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp ginger grated
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1 brown onion diced
- 2 cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 3 carrots chopped
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 300 g mushrooms sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 180°C (356°F)
- Heat olive oil in a large pot.
- Add the garlic, ginger, onion and mushrooms into the pot and cook on a medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Add chickpeas and season well with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer the chickpea mixture into the slow cooker and pour in the water, vegetable stock, coconut milk and carrots and stir well. Cook on low for 4 hours and stir well, crushing the chickpeas, the leave for a further 4 hours. Alternatively, cook on high for 4 hours, stirring and crushing the chickpeas half way through. You can use a potato masher to squash as many chickpeas as you like. Or you can use an immersion blender to make it a smooth soup. Or you can remove half the batch and bland it and then return it to the pot and get the best of both worlds!
NOTES
- If soaking and cooking dried chickpeas, remember they triple in size. So prepare about 1.5 cups for this recipe.
- Soak dried chickpeas in filtered water with a pinch of Himalayan salt overnight.
- Rinse and then cook in a pot with filtered water until they are soft. Add 1 teaspoon turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt to enhance protein digestion.
- Drain and use in recipe.
NUTRITION
Calories: 258kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 5gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 19gSodium: 1102mgPotassium: 689mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 7895IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 4mg
What To AVOID When Using a Slow Cooker
It’s easy to fall into the trap of eating heavy, starchy foods that can put on weight quickly, and leave you feeling bloated and sluggish. Follow these tips to avoid this:
- Don’t mix meat and dairy in your recipe.
- Don’t mix meat and too much starch in your recipe. Instead of potato, use cauliflower to keep it low carb and weight loss focused. If you need to GAIN weight, then add the starchy vegetables.
- To avoid the need for thickeners such as flour, don’t add too much liquid. The slow cooker is covered, so recipes don’t reduce as the steam is not being released. So only just cover the food you are cooking with liquid to prevent it from being too runny – unless you are making soup!
- HERBS: If you set your cooker and go to work, use dried herbs not fresh. However, if you use fresh herbs, add them in the last 15-30 minutes so they don’t end up brown and soggy.
- Your slow cooker should be filled halfway to three-quarters of the way full. If it’s not full enough, your food will end up overcooked. If it’s too full, it may not cook completely.
