Honey Mustard Chickpeas

This recipe has been a favorite of our family. I've made it like the basic recipe here or added vegetables to our liking or according to what I had on hand at the time to fill it out a bit more. Some of you may recognize this as a non-vegetarian recipe in the More With Less cookbook.

I have three ways to prepare this dish: baking, stove top, or crockpot. See my vegetable variation below the basic recipe as follows. You can add tofu (bean curd) for another variation. Enjoy!

Honey Mustard Chickpeas

1/3 cup oil (I have used part coconut oil and part extra virgin olive oil)
1/3 cup honey (more or less, depending on how sweet you like it)
2 Tablespoons prepared mustard (any kind)
1 teaspoon salt or seasoned salt
1 teaspoon curry powder (or more)
4-5 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained (reserve liquid)

Stir to combine all ingredients. Add liquid to almost cover chickpeas and any vegetables that you decide to add (see below). It can be reserved chickpea cooking liquid, veggie broth, pasta or potato cooking water, or any combination of these, etc. This will produce a nice liquid to keep everything moist. It works very well if you are serving the chickpeas with rice or other cooked whole grain, or pasta. You can use a slotted spoon and keep the extra liquid for another meal, however you like. The amount of liquid you had will decide how moist or dry this dish will be. You can find out what you like best. (Please comment how your family likes this dish.)

Recipe can be multiplied.

To bake:
Bake in 350 degree F oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Stove top:
Cook in medium size saucepan on medium low until heated through. If desired you can continue cooking on low for longer to allow flavors to blend.

Crockpot:
Heat on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-10 hours. The great thing about a crockpot is that your schedule can determine how long you cook this dish. It just needs to be heated through, but flavor is better with longer slower cooking.

Vegetable Variation

In addition to the chickpeas you can add vegetables. Using the vegetables you like in the amounts you like, will greatly enhance this dish. Some that we have used in the past (all or some of the following):

onions, sliced or chopped
cabbage, chopped
garlic, whole cloves or coarsely chopped
zucchini, chopped
bell peppers, chopped
green beans, cut into 1 inch lengths
carrots, shredded or chopped
celery, chopped

Though not necessary, sometimes when I add vegetables (especially onions and garlic), I saute them first in a skillet, using the oil in the original recipe, before adding to the other ingredients. Then proceed as usual. When adding 3 cups of vegetables or more, you may want to double your sauce ingredients (all but the chickpeas in the original recipe) for more flavor.

Another Indian tip I learned a few years ago while my husband was at seminary...When adding vegetables to saute, first heat the oil, then add your curry powder, stirring to cook a little, then add your onions, etc... to give it an even better flavor.