Sweet potato and chickpea surprise

This vegan-friendly meal is healthy, hearty and easy to make. All of the ingredients should be available from your local shop, and there’s no fussy preparation. Inspired by Dana, more commonly known as Minimalist Baker, this is a recipe everyone, vegan or not, should try at least once.

Ingredients 

• One sweet potato per person (medium to large sized)
• One can of chickpeas (use half for only one or two people)
• Cayenne, paprika and cumin (as much or as little as you like)
• A couple of heaped tablespoons of plain hummus per person
• A teaspoon of minced garlic
• One tablespoon of lemon juice per person
• Water (or dairy free milk) to thin the consistency
• Cherry tomatoes (halved)
• Fresh dill or coriander (finely chopped)

Method

Begin by pre-heating your oven to 200C and then start with the sweet potatoes: scrub them, drizzle a little oil on them, and stab a few times with a fork before popping them in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour (this will depend on the size of your sweet potatoes).

Whilst they’re cooking away, you can prepare the rest of your ingredients. Drain the chickpeas and pour them into a large mixing bowl, then sprinkle over the spices, tasting along the way.

Drizzle a little oil over the chickpeas, so they’re all covered, tip them onto a baking tray and put these in the oven too. These will take about 30 to 40 minutes to cook.

Next prepare the sauce. This can easily be altered to your own tastes. Start by adding a few tablespoons of hummus into a mixing bowl, use approximately two tablespoons per person, but more if you’d like more sauce. Add the minced garlic, use a ratio of one teaspoon of minced garlic to every two tablespoons of hummus. You can also add some salt and pepper to your own tastes.

Whisk this all together to make a sauce, if it’s too thick, add some water or a splash of dairy free milk.

When the ingredients in the oven are done, cut the sweet potatoes in half and drizzle a little sauce over. Then spoon the chickpeas on top, and finally the tomatoes and the herbs. Delicious!