Spicy chickpea dish

Chickpeas on a bookshelf--the bookshelf was much more attractive than my fiance's dirty kitchen at the moment of photographing:-)

If I am going to consistently blog, I am going to need to learn how to cook for 2 as opposed to cooking for 4 or 6 or 8, as I seem so prone to do.  I apologize for the fits and starts of posting--everything will take shape eventually!  I figure you'll forgive me when I post my Dad's famous Buffalo Chip cookies, which I have customized to fit my tastes and for which I receive many compliments and recipe requests.  I am so glad we all share recipes-- I hear that back in the old days, women hoarded their recipes.  Hurrah for sharing!  I will never be able to make all the gorgeous recipes I've found, but I'll go to my grave cooking, tasting, feeding and sharing.


After my precipitous naming of the chappati, I am a little hesitant to call this chole, which would imply that it is in fact more than just "Indian-influenced," especially since it's missing a few spices.   But I bought the ingredients before I got all concerned about authenticity, and this still has the potential to be a tasty dish.  I'll try a variant with proper spices soon, though probably not next week, as I have a menu lined up that makes my mouth water, and the idea of subbing something out for something similar to what I had the week before does not appeal.  This blog and my food planning can be just a tad self-serving.

I also went in to try on various wedding dresses today and decided to order the slightly too-small size.  Wish me luck as I get in shape.  My eating habits are overall pretty healthy, but I do need to be more active.  Tom and I haven't been dancing as much as we should, and I need some running to focus my energies anyway.  Wish me luck!   With the great food the recipes I've found have provided and the running I intend to do, I should be juuuuuust fine.


My cooking tip of the day: ginger is MUCH easier to grate when it's frozen.


Also, I am growing very desirous of a pressure cooker.  I eat so many beans that it might be a worthwhile investment.  I haven't ever used one, largely because my mother warned me that they are dangerous, but I'm starting to think that they've gotten safer or that she might have just had a bad experience.  Any pressure cooker users?  Thoughts on pressure cookers?
Original recipe found here.  I tweaked a minor bit.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 3 tablespoons grated or minced fresh ginger root (about 2 inches off my root), divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground dried red chilies
• 3 jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 c garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
• 
  

Directions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the cumin, half of the ginger and ground red chilies, and cook for 30 seconds until the spices are fragrant. Add the jalapenos, onions, garbanzo beans, lemon juice, and water; season to taste with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with ginger, tomatoes, and cilantro to serve.