I love Indian food.  However, it’s not always gluten-free (cross contamination issues at a restaurant).  I also am doing my best to stick to my vegan diet, especially at home.  That being said, I have noticed a lot of vegan dishes use chickpeas because of the high protein content.

I have several Indian spice shops close to home so I enjoy shopping there for my spices and I also buy organic chickpeas there.  I simply soak them and cook them to add to a variety of dishes.

Last night, as I was labeling and refilling my spice containers, I thought of matar paneer (peas and cheese).  I had considered using tofu as the paneer substitution, but not a huge tofu fan and I didn’t have any on hand.  Then it hit me…CHICKPEAS!

I quickly assembled my ingredients….oil (just a bit), onions, garlic, spices, tomatoes, water, peas and chickpeas.  There might be an ingredient or two missing, but those are primary ingredients.

I quickly whipped of my vegan version of one of my favorite Indian dishes.  As the rest of the family was already having rice with their dinner, I borrowed a scoop to serve with my modified, now vegan dish.

While I do miss the paneer (cheese), the chickpeas work really well as a substitution.  I am looking forward to trying to make more Indian dishes with chickpeas.