Broccoli & Chickpea Brown Rice Pasta

It's day two of my 12-day detox. What I miss most on this diet is having a little piece of dark chocolate after my lunch. Everything else is manageable. I've actually been fantasizing about secretly placing a  square of chocolate in my mouth and quietly letting it dissolve. Who would ever know?

I would. 

Ok, I'm talking about chocolate again when all I want to do is tell you about detox recipe No. 2 -- broccoli & chickpea brown rice pasta. A dish I'd usually eat with normal spaghetti noodles tossed with pesto and loads of freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. But not this week or next week. To make up for the lack of pesto or cheese, I add a can of tuna in oil.

Stay tuned for more detox recipes...

Broccoli & Chickpea Brown Rice Pasta
(Serves 4)

6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 medium brown onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp of dried chilli flakes
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 large head of broccoli, chopped into florets
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinse
3/4 tsp of sea salt
1 can of tuna in oil (optional)
A handful of basil, roughly chopped
Brown rice pasta for 4
Juice of half a lemon

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Saute the onion until translucent -- about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir-fry for about 1 minute.
2. Add broccoli florets and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is tender but crisp, about 7 to 8 minutes.To help the broccoli cook, you can spoon a tablespoon of water into the saucepan and then cover it for several minutes.
3. Stir in chickpeas and tuna (optional) and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat while you cook the pasta.
4. Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
5. Add pasta and reserved cooking water to broccoli and chickpeas in saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute, stirring, until combined. Add chopped basil and stir again.
6. Just before serving, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Comments

[[eatingclub] vancouver]

Great-looking dish! Love the combination of broccoli and chickpeas. Did you find the brown rice pasta more breakable than regular pasta?

[Manggy]

Oh, wow. I wonder what brown rice pasta tastes like... Looks and sounds awesome! I can't believe it's only day two! Good luck :)

[mikky]

great picture... looks good... :)

[VeggieGirl]

YUM!!!!

[Patricia Scarpin]

You make healthy dishes look delicious and tasty!

[Eleonora]

Les photos sont superbes et on craque de bonheur...bravo

[Dorothy]

um... you mentioned a can of tuna in oil, but it does not seem to show up on the recipe...

[Cynthia]

Syrie, it is a pleasure to discover your blog. I am here via Bee (Rasa Malaysia). I have just spent a large part of my afternoon going through your delicious blog and have bookmarked quite a few things that I must-try! :)

I've added your blog to my list of Readable Feasts and have also subscribed to your feed. Looking forward to more of your posts.

[dawn]

this is allowed on detox? sign me up! hello!

[vincent]

Bonjour !! thanks for the comment that you put on my blog !! this recipe looks easy and good, nice for a light lunch !!....so, when will you come in France ? to discover the Champagne and Reims the city where i am living !!!!
A bientôt !!!

[myfrenchkitchen]

What a lovely composition of foods! It looks delicious
ronell

[myfrenchkitchen]

What a lovely composition of foods! It looks delicious
ronell

[myfrenchkitchen]

What a lovely composition of foods! It looks delicious
ronell

[Fearless Kitchen]

This looks really tasty, detox or no.

[Syrie]

Hey eatingClub, the pasta is actually pretty good and quite firm. You have to wash it under cold water as soon as it's ready though otherwise it gets all gooey. Thanks for visitng!

Hey Mark, It pretty much tastes the same as regular white pasta. It’s the texture that’s a bit different. It’s more chewy. I still prefer freshly made pasta but what can you do!

Thanks Mikky!

Glad you like it VeggieGirl!

Thanks Patricia. It's the only way I can manage on a detox! Thanks for visiting!

Oops Dorothy! Thanks for catching that and it’s fixed!

Merci beaucoup Eleonora! Merci pour visiteur ma website!

Hi Cynthia, thank you for your kind words. I'm so pleased you visited and stayed for so long. I've added you to my blog roll too.

Ha Dawn! Glad you liked it! It's not too bad at all.

Thanks so much Ronell. Lovely to hear from you.

Thanks fearless kitchen! This recipe is a staple in my home although I usually add lots of grated parmesan on top!

[mycookinghut]

This dish looks good! Very nicely presented.

[Detox Diet]

That looks good! Healthy and free of toxic! Love your recipes. I've been looking for tasty recipes for my detox diet and found your site. I've been on water/juice detox for a while and it's beginning to taste awful and thank god I found your recipes.

[I've done these many times]

Flour of any kind is not supposed to be eaten on this detox. Rice would be good with this instead of the noodles

[Eat Smart Age Smart]

Nice find! Delicious looking Broccoli & Chickpea Brown Rice Pasta. One day I am surely going to taste this much-talked Broccoli & Chickpea Brown Rice Pasta and I hope it lives up to all the hype