Chorizo – Wheat-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free!

‘Chorizo!. We can’t eat that can we?’ said the community dinner diner with a worried look thinking it must be off the list for the detox.he quickly broke into an eager grin when he realised that it was wheat, dairy and sugar free..

Last nights dinner was in two pots, chickpeas with vegetables for the vegetarians and chickpeas with chorizo, the tasty Spanish sausage that perks up any pot of beans for the chorizo eaters. Chorizo is like a flavour enhancer when cooked with beans. A little goes a long way and it takes the beans up a notch on the taste sensation front.  The vegetarian version has smoked paprika which gives a tasty Spanish kick to the pot.

It was accompanied with roasted potato wedges and butternut squash. 

and a bowl bursting with vitality of green leaves from the garden.

Six happy diners once again.

Here’s the chickpea and chorizo recipe. If you want to make vegetarian version, leave out the chorizo, put in a teaspoon of smoked paprika and stir in some sautéed courgettes at the end (so that they don’t go soggy)

Chickpeas and Chorizo

400g cooked chickpeas

olive oil

1 large onion

2-3 sticks celery

3-4 cloves garlic

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

500g tomatoes or 1 can chopped tomatoes

2-3 chorizo sausages

Salt and pepper

Chopped parsley to serve

Peel and chop the onion and gently sauté in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Wash the celery, slice lengthwise then chop and add to the pan with the onion. Chop the peppers and add to pan, all the time cooking gently so the vegetables soften Add the garlic, peeled and chopped then slice the chorizo and add to pan. Cook gently until the chorizo begins to release its oil. Add the cooked chickpeas and tomatoes and bring everything to the boil, You may need to add a little water/ reserved cooking liquor from the chickpeas, if you cooked them yourself. Season with salt and pepper and then simmer for about 15-20 minutes