Brown Rice Salad with Pan-fried Chickpeas and Kale and Hunger Challenge Day 3 Recap

Third day on the hunger challenge and I am beginning to appreciate the cause more and more with each passing day. We both worked pretty late today and normally after a late night like that, we just get some take-out without thinking twice about it. Obviously that wasn’t an option today, we had to come home and make dinner. I was so worn out that I could’ve just eaten some bread and crashed. But I wanted to do this right; my whole intention for this challenge was to share some fun and healthy low-cost recipes. So I forced myself to prepare a proper dinner. The only comfort was the thought that it is just for this one week, next week we will be back to the old schedule.

But I couldn’t help thinking about those who don’t have that option to pick up some take-out after a tiring day. If you were really forced to live on $7 a day, you’d certainly have to fix a meal at home. It can be a tiring chore. I understand now why people turn to canned soups and Ramen. If you are pressed for time and money, there aren’t many easy choices available. My heart goes out to those who live this challenge every day!

Coming to the daily recap, our tally for the day is $11.75. It is cutting very close to the $12 mark, but we have more than enough left overs for lunch tomorrow, and possibly enough for at least one person’s dinner as well.   I will share the chicken curry recipe tomorrow, it is less than $1 per serving, it is a really good option for people on a budget.

Recipe I am sharing today is last night’s dinner – Brown-rice salad with pan-friend Chickpeas and Kale with some avocado slices for some added nutrition. Along with some lemony-yogurt dressing, this was a simple and eloquent dinner and cost only less than $2 per serving.

This one is an extension of the Chickpeas and Kale Stir Fry recipe I posted a while ago. I am absolutely in love with the Kale-Chickpea-lime taste combination, that I make this dish very often.

Brown-rice salad with pan-friend Chickpeas and Kale

Ingredients

(Makes 2 servings)

• Chickpeas, cooked – 1 can
• Kale – 1/4lb
• Lime – 1
• Tomato, diced – 1
• Cilantro – 1 tbsp
• Avocado, cubed – 3/4
• Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
• Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp
• Onions, diced – 1/4 cup
• Garlic – 2 cloves
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Yogurt – 2 tbsp
• Cooked and cooled Brown Rice – 1/2 cup

Method

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a large non-stick pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic till soft. Add the red chili and coriander powders and saute for a minute or so. Add salt and the chickpeas and saute till the chickpeas turn golden and crusty, about 8-10 minutes. Add the kale and saute for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add juice from 1/2 of the lime. Stir in the cooked and cooled brown rice and mix well. Remove from the heat.

To make the dressing, Add some red pepper flakes and the juice from the remaining half of the line and salt into the yogurt and mix well to combine.

Place the salad in a bowl, top with tomato and avocado slices and spoon the yogurt dressing over. This one is really really limey, if you don’t like that strong lime taste, feel free to reduce the amount of lime juice in the dressing.

For more information about Hunger Action Week and for the Wednesday Hunger Challenge round-up, check out the UWKC blog http://uwkc.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/wednesday-blog-round-up/

You might also want to check-out the other Hunger Challenge participant blogs:

• 1 Family Friendly Food
• All You Can Eat
• Big City Hippie
• Cook & Eat
• Eat All About It
• Eric Rivera’s Cooking Blog
• Favorite Freezer Foods
• Fishes + Loaves
• Food Dynamics
• Foodista
• Julie Jams
• Mirch Masala
• Musings on the Path to Frugality
• NOMalicious
• Savory Sweet Life
• Seattle Metblogs
• Self Rising Flour
• The Curious Domestic
• The Gastro Gnome
• What’s For Dinner

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Category: Greens, Hunger Challenge, Lentils and Legumes, Rice, Soups and Salads