Vegetarian Chickpeas and Dumplings

Craving Chicken and Dumplings but want something vegan/vegetarian, dairy free and a bit lighter and healthier?

My version is delicious, hearty and has NO butter, oil or dairy. It’s heart healthy and nutritious. Our new winter favorite, soon to be yours.

I have made this dozens of times, so if you feel something here is not explained well please feel free to pm me on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/gay.longleyvanbeek/ and I will answers your questions.

As always, pink text is clickable directly to my amazon store for easy shopping.

Vegetarian Chickpeas and Dumplings

Ingredients:

For the Stew:

1 small onion, diced

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 minced garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon chopped dried rosemary (use more if using fresh)

A dash of turmeric

3 tablespoons flour

4-6 cups veggie broth (Zoup is the best)

1  15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup  full fat coconut milk

2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast (or more to taste)

2 cups fresh spinach

For the Dumplings:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow corn meal (the secret to great dumplings)

1 heaping Tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups full fat coconut milk

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

salt to taste

Optional ingredients you can add to your stew:

One potato, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes

1 cup peas

Instructions:

Add about 1/4 cup of veggie broth  to a large soup pot. Add in the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and rosemary, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the 3 Tablespoons of flour into the pan, coating the vegetables.  You will be creating a “roux” of sorts (minus the oil!). Add in more broth as needed, and I also spray the mixture with cooking spray so it does not stick to the pan. Cook, continually stirring so as not to burn the mixture, adding more broth as needed. You want the mixture to be more dry than wet. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, until the mixture thickens a bit. Slowly stream in the veggie broth, all the while whisking. Cook for another 5 minutes until it comes to a low boil and thickens a bit.

Stir in the chickpeas and coconut milk (and optional peas and potatoes). Keep cooking over medium to low heat so that the mixture is lightly bubbling. Add a dash of turmeric (about 1/8 tsp).

Add the Nutritional Yeast. I LOVE the flavor this brings to the stew, but I recommend starting with just one Tablespoon, then adding more to taste. It truly makes vegan/vegetarian dishes come to life.

Stir in the two cups of spinach and cook about 10 more minutes, until it has wilted.

Make your dumplings:

Combine all of the dumpling ingredients in a large bowl until just blended. Do not over mix! Lumps are OK. Think biscuit batter.

**Here is a side-note on making dumplings: Many cooks I know insist that making the dumplings ahead of time and refrigerating them shaped into balls makes them hold together better. I have not found this to be the case. I prefer to drop the dumpling batter, one heaping tablespoon at a time, onto the hot, boiling broth. The batter will be sticky. They expand to almost twice their original size and are very soft and pillow-y this way.**

Add the dumplings to your broth:

Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the dumpling dough and gently drop into the hot boiling broth. They look like they are sinking to the bottom, but never fear! In ten minutes they will double in size. You should get about 5-6 tablespoonfuls from this mixture. Cover the pot halfway and let the dumplings cook and expand for about ten minutes. Gently use a spoon and flip the dumplings over in the broth, cover halfway again, and continue cooking for another 20 minutes. Do not let the mixture over boil, just a gentle simmer.

Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

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Vegetarian Chickpeas and Dumplings

Author: Gay Van Beek for Canterbury Cottage Designs

Ingredients

Ingredients:

For the Stew:

• 1 small onion diced
• 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped dried rosemary use more if using fresh
• A dash of turmeric
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 4-6 cups veggie broth Zoup is the best
• 1 15- ounce can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
• 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast or more to taste
• 2 cups fresh spinach

For the Dumplings:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup yellow corn meal the secret to great dumplings
• 1 heaping Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups full fat coconut milk
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• salt to taste

Optional ingredients you can add to your stew:

• One potato peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup peas

Instructions

Instructions:

1. Add about 1/4 cup of veggie broth to a large soup pot. Add in the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and rosemary, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the 3 Tablespoons of flour into the pan, coating the vegetables. You will be creating a “roux” of sorts (minus the oil!). Add in more broth as needed, and I also spray the mixture with cooking spray so it does not stick to the pan. Cook, continually stirring so as not to burn the mixture, adding more broth as needed. You want the mixture to be more dry than wet. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, until the mixture thickens a bit. Slowly stream in the veggie broth, all the while whisking. Cook for another 5 minutes until it comes to a low boil and thickens a bit.
3. Stir in the chickpeas and coconut milk (and optional peas and potatoes). Keep cooking over medium to low heat so that the mixture is lightly bubbling. Add a dash of turmeric (about 1/8 tsp).
4. Add the Nutritional Yeast. I LOVE the flavor this brings to the stew, but I recommend starting with just one Tablespoon, then adding more to taste. It truly makes vegan/vegetarian dishes come to life.
5. Stir in the two cups of spinach and cook about 10 more minutes, until it has wilted.

Make your dumplings:

1. Combine all of the dumpling ingredients in a large bowl until just blended. Do not over mix! Lumps are OK. Think biscuit batter.
2. **Here is a side-note on making dumplings: Many cooks I know insist that making the dumplings ahead of time and refrigerating them shaped into balls makes them hold together better. I have not found this to be the case. I prefer to drop the dumpling batter, one heaping tablespoon at a time, onto the hot, boiling broth. The batter will be sticky. They expand to almost twice their original size and are very soft and pillow-y this way.**
3. Add the dumplings to your broth:
4. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the dumpling dough and gently drop into the hot boiling broth. They look like they are sinking to the bottom, but never fear! In ten minutes they will double in size. You should get about 5-6 tablespoonfuls from this mixture. Cover the pot halfway and let the dumplings cook and expand for about ten minutes. Gently use a spoon and flip the dumplings over in the broth, cover halfway again, and continue cooking for another 20 minutes. Do not let the mixture over boil, just a gentle simmer.