Chickpea, Spinach and Mushroom Sauté

Step 1

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium till hot but not smoking. Place the mushroom slices into the pan. Let them fry undisturbed for 3 minutes.

Step 2

Stir and continue frying till the mushrooms are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add the red pepper flakes, basil, and paprika. If spice sensitive, start with just 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper-- you can always add more to taste later. I like it with a kick, so I add 1/2 tsp. Stir seasonings to coat the mushrooms. Add the garlic last. Stir and cook for 1 minute till fragrant.

Step 3

Stir in the chickpeas till all ingredients are well combined. Let the chickpeas heat up for 2 minutes, stirring as they warm.

Step 4

Pour 2 tbsp water into the bean and mushroom mixture and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place the fresh spinach or baby kale over the top of the chickpeas. It will seem like a lot of greens at first, but they will shrink up a lot as they cook.

Step 5

Reduce heat to medium low. Cover the pan and allow spinach to cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until wilted. Stir the spinach into the chickpeas and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I usually use about 1/4 tsp of salt and a large pinch of pepper). Turn heat to medium and let the mixture continue to cook till excess liquid has evaporated.

Step 6

Sprinkle with roasted sunflower seeds (optional) and serve. I serve chili pepper flakes on the side for my family so they can spice it more to taste, if desired.