garbanzo bean tacos
shared by colleen kuusinen
Anaal sent me this recipe when she was beginning to explore how to eat well in a way that worked for her body while also managing a busy work life. It’s a simple recipe, a fusion that’s mostly Indian but with a Mexican wrap: it starts as a chana masala— no ginger—and uses tomato paste instead of fresh tomato, which I appreciate because I always have those little jars on hand but rarely fresh tomato. Put it in a corn tortilla (Anaal preferred Trader Joe’s sprouted corn tortillas, which she specifies in the recipe), and add avocado and tomato. I rarely have those on hand since moving away from California, but I will top with a dollop of whole milk yogurt and sprinkle of fresh coriander (cilantro). A super simple and healthy mid-week meal. My copy of the recipe is marked with the spills of many years of enjoying this meal and thinking of my dear friend. After years of making this, while writing out this recipe to post, I just noticed that she has a bunch of spices listed in the ingredients but doesn’t include them in the directions. I’m including it just as it was written to me.
Note: these photos are of Anaal eating an arepa, but we can imagine they are the garbanzo bean tacos.
Garbanzo bean tacos
Ingredients
1 can garbanzo beans
tomato paste
1 small onion
lime
fresh green chili (or red chili flakes or chili powder - whatever you have)
fresh cilantro
avocado
1 tomato
sprouted corn tortillas (or regular corn tortillas)
olive oil
taco seasoning or cumin, coriander, paprika, and other spices
Directions
dice onions
put desired amount of olive oil in pan and heat at medium heat
once oil is heated, add a pinch of whole cumin and let it cook for a little bit (less than a minute)
add chopped onions and let cook until translucent and then add green chilis
add tomato paste (I usually add a heaping teaspoon first and then add more depending how much tomato I want)
add about 1/4 cup water and stir everything together (add more water if needed)
let cook about 5 minutes
add garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
add lime juice (again, it should be according to taste)
cover and let cook until you can mash the garbanzo beans with a spoon easily (I mash half of the mix)
turn off heat and then add chopped cilantro and stir in
slice avocados
chop tomatoes
serve with tortillas, avocado, tomato, and cilantro on top