Chickpea and Blackbean recipe, to give your body a boost

A delicious, easy recipe for any time in pregnancy, but especially good when you want to give your body a boost of energy around the time baby might make an appearance.

 

Some EXCITING facts about why chickpeas are great for pregnancy:

• They're bursting with nutrients -  in a cup of chickpeas your body gets 12 g of dietary fibre, 15 g of protein, more than half of your daily needs of vitamin B6, and around a quarter of your daily needs of iron.

• Your cup of chickpeas contains some choline, needed for your baby's nerve and brain development

• A huge 65% of your daily needs of manganese is in your cup of chickpeas. What is manganese?! It helps in skeletal development so it's vital to the health of your growing baby.

• Chickpeas help your body to maintain blood sugar levels and offer a boost to your energy levels during pregnancy.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 tsp ground cumin (did you know cumin can aid with digestion and constipation?)

1 tsp of ground coriander

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed.

350g or 2 cups of rice, I prefer basmati

2 handfuls of chopped curly kale

salt and pepper

1 block of Feta cheese

 

Method

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan then add the onions and garlic.

Cook over a low-medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the spices, stir to coat all the onions and cook for about a minute until they become fragrant.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, beans and a quarter can of water and mix everything together. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile cook your rice following pack instructions.

Before serving, stir the kale through the hot chilli.

Serve the chilli on rice with a handful of feta crumbled on top.

This recipe is from the wonderful Kate Calder, mum of Sonny and professional cook extraordinaire