Teriyaki Chickpeas and Rice

This recipe might be the easiest and cheapest recipe I’ve ever posted. There are a couple of “flair” ingredients in the recipe, but it would be good if all you had was a bag of rice, can of chickpeas, and bottle of teriyaki sauce. Those ingredients don’t cost much and you might already have them in the pantry. What could be simpler?

Also, I think this is a great meal to make if you’re only cooking for yourself. Is that a weird thing to say, that this is a good dish for just one person? Maybe. But, when I lived alone I was always looking for recipes that didn’t make a billion servings. I didn’t like cooking that much then because I’d make one recipe and have to eat the dish for lunch and dinner for the next 4 days. But this dish, is perfect for 2-3 meals. It’s perfect if you want to whip up something quick, small, and tasty.

It’s adapted from the great cookbook The Happy Herbivore. It’s a vegan cookbook, but really accessible for people like me who are curious about how vegans do it, but don’t actually want to be vegan. Note, my pictures are made with double the chickpeas that are called for in the recipe. Pineapple salsa is optional with this dish. You can buy something store bought, or you can make your own using the ingredients below as a foundation.

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1 cup uncooked rice (brown or white, whatever you like)

1 15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce (or more if you like!)

1 tbsp hot sauce

1/2 tbsp raw sugar (just swipe 2 packets from your local coffee shop)

Optional:

1/2 cup chopped pineapple

2 tbsp chopped red onion

1 tbsp+ chopped cilantro

lime juice (from about 1/2  a lime)

Directions:

1. In a medium pot, heat 2 cups water and 1 cup of rice until they come to a boil. Lower the heat and cover the pot. Let simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, mix the chickpeas, teriyaki sauce, hot sauce, and sugar together. Let the chickpeas marinate in the skillet for 5 minutes.

3. While you’re letting the chickpeas marinate, make the salsa. Chop the pineapple, onions, and cilantro. Mix together in a small bowl. Squeeze lime juice on top of the salsa. Mix it and set aside.

4. Turn on the heat for the skillet and cook the chickpeas on medium-high heat for 12 minutes. Stir occasionally. The chickpeas are finished when they are soft when you bite them and some of the sauce has been absorbed.

5. Top the rice with chickpeas and salsa and serve!

Messy level: This is one spoon! You cook everything in two pots, there’s so little chopping, and it’s just so darn easy!!