Coconut Curried Chickpeas and Spinach

The semester is officially over! I felt such a huge sense of relief when I finished my last exam yesterday. Now I have a short break until summer classes start. I'm taking one class over the summer so I can get it out of the way. It will only be for a month, so it's not a big deal. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan I will be graduating this time next year. Speaking of graduation...Andrew is graduating tomorrow! I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of him. His family arrived today and will be staying for a few days, so it should be a nice weekend. Everyone will be coming over Sunday morning for vegan brunch. I'm pretty excited about it, because I haven't had the chance to cook for a large group of people in a while.

Have you guys heard about the SOS Kitchen Challenge yet? Ricki from Diet, Dessert, and Dogs is hosting the Sweet or Savory Kitchen Challenge. Every month a key ingredient is picked and participants have to create a sweet or savory dish using that ingredient. This month's feature ingredient is spinach. In honor of the challenge, last night I created Coconut Curried Chickpeas and Spinach. It was very good, probably one of my better curry recipes. Obviously I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it either because Andrew was still talking about it today!

Coconut Curried Chickpeas and Spinach

1 TBSP canola oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
10 fresh baby spinach
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1.5 TBSP green thai curry paste (use more if you want it really spicy)
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tsp agave nectar
salt, to taste

1. Heat oil in a large pan until hot. Add onion, carrots, and garlic to pan and cook until vegetables begin to soften (about 5 minutes).
2. Add chickpeas and spinach to pan. Cook until the spinach begins to wilt.
3. While the chickpeas and spinach cook mix the coconut milk, curry paste, corn starch, soy sauce, and agave together.
4. Add the coconut mixture to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes (until the sauce thickens and everything is heated through).
5. Taste to adjust salt.

If you'd like more info about the SOS Kitchen Challenge, click here. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!