Chana Masala

2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground ginger
10 oz fresh spinach (bagged works great), chopped
2 medium red peppers, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (14.5 oz, preferably low-sodium)
1 can chickpeas/garbanzos, drained (14.5 oz, preferably low sodium. If you want the dish to be more chickpea-stewy than spinachy, feel free to use 2 cans garbanzos)
1/2 cup lowfat milk (lactose-free if you’re intolerant; or use rice milk if you’d prefer this dish to be dairy-free. You can also use lowfat buttermilk or plain yogurt if you have that laying around.)
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent (~5 min).
Add garlic and spices (except salt) and saute for another 2 minutes until spices are fragrant and onions are well-covered in spices, careful not to burn the garlic.
Add the spinach, the diced red peppers, jalapeno, tomatoes and salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, partially covered, stirring occasionally
Stir in milk/yogurt. Simmer uncovered until desired thickness is reached.
Salt to taste and serve!


Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user TURC204.