I was reading a great blog about Spain and Spanish food called Spanish Sabores. (The pictures are soooo mouth-watering, and it’s so much fun to read.) I came across one of my favorite dishes from when I was in Sevilla – espinacas con garbanzos, or spinach and chickpeas! It sounds kind of boring, but it’s a seriously tasty dish.

I’ve eaten this in Andalucía either as a starter dish or a tapa. I like it alone, but I’ve always seen it served with crusty bread.

Photo credit: I Love Tapas

I decided to have a go at my own version. I kind of followed this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen, but I dumbed it wayyy down. Even though I cheated on the recipe, it tasted pretty good. Here are the cheater’s steps: 

Ingredients: cooked chickpeasolive oil, frozen spinachtomato puréespices from jars (garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, Spanish smoked paprika, cayenne pepper), and lemon juice.

The embarrassingly easy steps: Defrost the spinach with olive oil in a pan. Add everything except lemon juice and let it warm up until it looks tasty. Then pour it in a bowl and squeeze lemon juice on top. And that’s it! 

Ta-da!

Side note/disclaimer: I am possibly the world’s worst cook, so this is saying something. Once I set pasta on fire…while  it was in the pan of water. Really. So I’m not pretending this is a real recipe by any means, but it’s perfect for 20-somethings like me who don’t cook real things or use real measurements.

This whole process took about 10-12 minutes, and it was a really easy, healthy lunch. The posh recipe looks nice, but I didn’t have the bread (or the patience!) to attempt it. So my dumbed-down version works, is incredibly easy/fast, and actually tastes good. Te lo prometo!

If you want a fancier version, check these out:

 

Currently listening to: “Live Forever” by Oasis

Currently readingThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Besos!

-Jess