Eastern Vegetarian Curry

Credit: Courtesy Breast Friends

Fibre-full chickpeas give this curry dish its nutrients

This Eastern chickpea curry is full of fibre, phytonutrients and spicy kick

Garbanzo beans or chickpeas are valued for their fibre, which may help to lower LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides better than other types of fibre. Because 65-70% of their fibre is insoluble (remains undigested until it’s eliminated though the colon), it can help lower risk of colon problems including colon cancer.

Chickpeas’ phytonutrients include flavonoids found in the beans’ outer layer and phenolic acids found in their interior. The mineral manganese, a key antioxidant found inside your body’s cells, is also in high amounts in chickpeas (1 cup has 85% of daily needs).

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 organic green pepper, sliced in strips
• 1 organic red pepper, sliced in strips
• 2 tablespoons cold-pressed canola oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• ¼ teaspoon unrefined salt
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• dash of pepper
• 1 standard can pineapple chunks in juice
• 1 standard can coconut milk
• 2 standard cans chickpeas, drained
• 2 tablespoons curry powder (more or less to taste)

Instructions

1. Sauté onions and peppers in canola oil in a medium pot.
2. Add rest of ingredients and simmer for about 45 minutes.
3. Add water or additional coconut milk, if needed.

For this book’s healthy recipes, Breast Friends teamed up with InspireHealth, a not-for-profit organization and leader in integrative cancer care, with three centres in BC and an online program. InspireHealth promotes healthy lifestyle including nutrition, exercise, support groups and stress management while supporting standard cancer treatments.