Miso Peanut chickpea bowl

This was a very versatile meal that could be served hot or cold. In the summer I imagine it would be great with grated cucumbers, carrots and capsicums. Last night we served it warm and it was very comforting. I recently bought organic black bean noodles to try and they were a quite nice alternative but you could easily use any rice/noodles/potatoes to bulk this up if you like. The whole meal came together in less than 30 minutes. I found the sauce dressing online but altered it to my pantry staples. I always like to look at a recipe and alter it to what I have rather than skip the recipe as I don't have all the ingredients.

1/3 cup (85 g) natural peanut butter (I used crunchy)

1 tbsp (18 g) red miso

Juice from 1 lemon (2 tbsp [30 ml])

2 tsp (10 ml) toasted sesame oil or olive oil

2 tsp (13 g) agave nectar / brown rice syrup / brown sugar

2 ½ tbsp (15 g) chopped scallions / spring onions / chives

1 clove garlic, minced (I used garlic powder)

1 tbsp (15 ml) brown rice vinegar/ seasoned rice vinegar/ apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup (80 ml) water, more if needed to thin it out

2 tsp (10 ml) sesame oil/ olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped

1 ½ cups (256 g) cooked chickpeas

2 large cloves garlic, minced (to taste)

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp chipotle powder

1 large bunch kale/ spinach/ silverbeet

Toasted sesame seeds

Rice or noodles of choice - I used organic black bean noodles which only took 3 minutes to cook.

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Start by preparing the sauce. I only had about ⅓ cup of peanut butter left in the jar so I added the remaining ingredients to the jar and shook it up. Otherwise add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Thin as needed with water.

Prepare the greens by removing the stems and roughly chopping the leaves. I finely diced the stems to add to the mix but I know some people prefer not to eat them. In a large saucepan add the oil and chickpeas, season with onion, garlic, paprika and chipotle. Allow to cook for a few minutes before adding the greens. I prefer the greens to be just wilted. 2-3 minutes.

Divide the rice or noodles into bowls and top with steamed greens and chickpeas. Add a dollop of the peanut sauce to serve. If making this for a large party you could premix the noodles, chickpeas, kale and peanut sauce.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds to serve.

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