RECIPE: Braised Chickpeas with Green Beans, Mushrooms & Parsley Pesto

Serves 2-3
For the chickpeas
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas
- 1/2 head broccoli
- 250g green beans
- 200g chestnut mushrooms
- 50g sundried tomatoes
- 200ml vegetable stock
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- pinch of Himalayan salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the pesto
- 1 clove of garlic
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- large bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas, if possible then soak them in filtered water for 2-8 hours. Drain and rinse again.
- Add them to a saucepan with the stock and lemon juice, bring to a simmer whilst you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Top and tail the beans and separate the broccoli into florets, add these to the chickpeas, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes until tender.
- Thickly slice the mushrooms and add to a frying pan, season with a pinch of salt and a few good grinds of black pepper. Cook on a gentle heat for 6-8 minutes until fragrant but not super soft. Add to the pan with the chickpeas.
- Chop the sundried tomatoes into pieces and stir through the chickpea mix, taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
- To make the pesto add all the ingredients except the oil to a food processor and blend until smooth, alternatively grind to a paste using a pestle and mortar. Slowly add the oil until you reach your desired consistency, sometimes I choose to keep it as a drier paste to incorporate into the remaining braising liquid from the chickpeas.
- Divide between bowls and spoon over the pesto, serve with sweet potato wedges for the ultimate veggie feast.