Chickpea Curry with Tart Cherries

This chickpea curry is hiding a secret: it’s full of anti-inflammatory foods! It’s a delicious healthy dinner recipe with tart cherry health benefits.

This vegan chickpea curry was created in partnership with Cherry Marketing Institute. All opinions are our own.

An incredible thing about food is it can be used as medicine. That is, some illnesses can be reversed just by changing the way you eat. Alex and I know people who have treated the symptoms of endometriosis by eating a plant-based diet, and others who have reversed the onset of Type 2 diabetes. In fact, there’s a whole practice called food as medicine. Hospitals are even starting to prescribe foods in pharmacies (how cool is that?). Alex and I are fascinated by food as medicine. While we’re not doctors, as recipe developers we get to take the foods prescribed by physicians and turn them into recipes. And having a theme for a recipe gets our creative juices flowing even more! Like for this vegan chickpea curry with tart cherries — keep reading for the recipe!

Tart cherry health benefits

This chickpea curry looks innocent enough, but it’s actually hiding a secret theme: it’s full of anti-inflammatory foods. Chronic inflammation can lead to diseases like arthritis, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer. The encouraging thing is, there are lots of foods that can help to offset inflammation. We created this chickpea curry to be an anti-inflammatory powerhouse, at the same time being packed with flavor. Instead of takeout or a processed dinner, try this curry instead! The recipe contains the following anti-inflammatory foods:

• Montmorency tart cherries, scientifically shown to reduce inflammation
• Colorful fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and kale
• Anti-inflammatory herbs and spices including turmeric and ginger, which increase the antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables
• Alliums like onions and crucifers like kale
• Vegetable protein from Garbanzo beans
• Whole grains like brown rice
• Extra-virgin olive oil as the main cooking oil

More with tart cherries: Farro Salad with Feta & Cherries

How to make this vegan chickpea curry recipe

This vegan chickpea curry recipe is a delicious vegan dinner recipe that’s very simple to make. The only ingredient prep is chopping onion and garlic, and roughly chopping dried tart cherries. After that, the cooking is a breeze: simply saute the onion and garlic, add the spices, tomatoes and coconut milk, and then add the vegetables and cherries and simmer. (If you need a sub for coconut milk, head to our substitutes for coconut milk in curry.)

While you’re making this vegan chickpea curry, cook the brown rice alongside. Cooking the rice in a rice cooker or Instant Pot can be helpful to “set and forget” while you’re making the curry recipe.

Related: Tomato Coconut Cauliflower Curry

Looking for vegan recipes? 

Are you looking for vegan dinner recipes? Here are a few of our favorite simple dinner vegan recipes:

• Very Veggie Vegan Pizza
• Savory Vegan Potpie with Sage Crust
• Creamy Vegan Pasta Marinara
• Moroccan Spiced Cauliflower Soup
• “Verde” Lentil Vegan Tacos
• “Can’t Believe It’s Vegan” Spaghetti & Meatballs
• The Best Loaded Vegan Nachos
• Easy Vegan Korean Ramen
• Vegan Italian Pasta Salad
• Quick Coconut Lentil Curry

This recipe is…

This vegan chickpea curry is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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