Posted last fall, I truly loved this recipe. Imagine a vegan dish for Thanksgiving that isn’t a side dish? That shames the turkey? Unfortunately we can’t have it any more due to the baby’s allergies, but ah, what a memorable meal it was!
It is a wonderful treat for any fall meal….
Fall Chickpea Tart
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 2 large stalks celery, chopped
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp granulated garlic
- 1 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained (reserve 1/3 cup)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (1 medium lemon)
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp dry sage
- 4 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ¾ cup toasted walnuts
- 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
- 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed (see below)
- ¼ cup Traverse Bay Fruit Co. Dried Cranberries
Crust and Topping –
- 1 9″ whole wheat pastry crust, thawed if frozen
- 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp walnuts, finely chopped
Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high, add oil, onion, celery, salt and pepper, sauté for 10 minutes, stirring often. Take off stove and stir in granulated garlic.
Meanwhile add the chickpeas through thyme to a food processor, add in the sautéed vegetables. Process until finely chopped.
Add in the walnuts and oats, pulse until mixed and walnuts are chopped.
Place the thawed spinach in a mesh strainer, drain. Squeeze with hands to press out extra water.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl, add in spinach, cranberries and reserved chickpeas, stir gently to mix.
Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out pie crust to fit pie plate. If any overhang, trim off and save. Place pie plate on a baking sheet, spread filling inside, smooth out.
Mix the oil and soy sauce together in a small bowl, brush all over the top, sprinkle walnuts on.
If there are crust scraps, roll out and cut out decorative pieces, place on a small baking sheet.
Place both in oven, tart in upper third, crust cutouts below. Bakes for 10 minutes, remove crust cutouts and let cool, continue baking tart for 20 to 25 minutes more (for a total of 30 to 35 minutes), until golden.
Let cool for 10 minutes, cut into 8 slices and serve. Decorate top of tart with the baked cutouts as desired.
To make in advance, let cool to room temperature, refrigerate until needed. Reheat one slice at a time in microwave for a minute or so.
PS:
To tast the walnuts quickly, as you heat the skillet for the vegetables, add the walnuts in the dry pan and shake to toast for a couple of minutes.