What to do with half a can of chickpeas

Alternate titles include:

I’m leaving for vacay in two days and my refrigerator is on empty

How to make an enchilada casserole with rice

Five layer Mexi-casserole

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Soooo…this is not much of a recipe at all.  But it’s proof that you can’t go wrong with a Mexican meal that includes rice, beans, salsa, and (vegan) cheese.

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Let me break it down for you.

Layer 1: rice (I used white rice, but brown rice would work too)

Layer 2: chickpeas (any bean will do – black, pinto, whatever)

Layer 3: bell peppers (I used 1/2 a large red one)

Layer 4: enchilada sauce (I used red sauce, but green will work too)

Layer 6: vegan sour cream (I used Follow Your Heart brand)

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After the oven pre-heated to 350, I cooked it for 30 minutes.

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It may not look gourmet, but one whiff and you’ll want to dig in with or without serving utensils.

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It was gone in under 48 hours.  Enough said.

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So guess what?  I thought I had one more work shift today, but when I got to the hospital I learned I wasn’t even scheduled to be there.  Oops!  I felt like such an idiot after packing my food the night before and waking up early to work out – I even got to the hospital 10 minutes early to get a good parking spot (in anticipation of leaving it there the entire time we are on vacation).  All for nothing!  Since I already had two cups of coffee and breakfast in me, I drove home and continued packing for our trip.  At least now I won’t be up ’til the wee hours of the morning attending to last minute details.

Guess what else?  H&M uses fake “models.” Apparently, the heads are real, but the bodies aren’t.  And by bodies, I mean body, since there only seems to be one.  I can’t decide if H&M was trying to pull a fast one on the consumer or not.  Either way, it’s sad they don’t show any body diversity.

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Comments (17)

  1. Jin

    haha you’re so creative Elise. The casserole sound delicious! You’re right- can’t go wrong with rice, chickpeas, enchilada sauce and sour cream 😛

    Bummer that you went all the way to the hospital and wasn’t scheduled to work! at least you got some packing done 😉

    I meant to ask you for a while now but could you possibly do a post on supplements? I don’t recall if you’ve done one in the past but I’d really like to know what your take on them are and if you are currently taking any.

  2. Kelsey

    Alternately titled: Elise doesn’t know how to count up to 5 🙂
    (meant in a silly way, not a mean way!)

    BUMMER that you woke up and went to work when not scheduled – I always check my computer the night before work even though I’ve already checked a thousand times just to make sure nothing changed haha.

  3. Abby @ Abz 'n' Oats

    This sounds amazing no matter how few ingredients it has! 🙂 Can’t go wrong with Mexican food!

  4. Elise (Post author)

    Omg haha. Well I’d say I’m officially ready for vacation!!!

  5. Alexa @ SimpleEats

    Fake bodies on models?! That’s just weird.

  6. Elaine

    hmmm, love mexican cuisine! that H&M thing is weird…wonder who else does that? have fun on your trip!!

  7. Emily

    Yum! Amazing dish, per usual.
    And I was just reading about the H & M thing! So crazy. But, I guess the fashion industry is the fashion industry; very shallow. It’s something we’ve all learned to accept, or at least tolerate.

  8. Cassandra @ She Don't Eat No Meat

    I read the H&M article yesterday too! Ugh. Makes me absolutely crazy.

  9. lauren@spicedplate

    Woah — that looks like the perfect way to use up some chickpeas…I love how creative it is!
    and ICK! re: H&M…i didn’t hear about that. that’s sort of lame.

  10. chelsey @ clean eating chelsey

    Another alternate title: “I’m going to find a way to mail this casserole to Chelsey”.

    Thanks!!

  11. Jeremy Logsdon

    That looks amazingly good. And honestly, you have inspired me to stop doing so much grocery shopping and eat down what we have in our fridge and pantry before restocking. Your creativity is inspirational, whereas I’m more of the mindset “I don’t have exactly what I need for this side dish – I must go spend $120 at Kroger.”

  12. Jamie @ Don't Forget the Cinnamon

    Wow!! Thanks so much for sharing that link about H&M! That’s pretty ridiculous. And images 3&4…they couldn’t even repose the bodies?

  13. Nada (One Arab Vegan)

    Perfect title right there – I ALWAYS have half a can of chickpeas in my fridge! This sounds and looks delicious, I’d never have thought to use rice in a casserole. Thanks for the recipe!

  14. Barb@ThatWasVegan?

    Some of my very favorite recipes are the “thrown together with what you have on hand” kind! Thanks for sharing, I’ll be using this one then next time I don’t know what to make.

  15. Katie @ Peace Love & Oats

    I’m loving these creative meals! I leave for 4 weeks in a week and a half, Ill be doing the same!

  16. Katie @ Peace Love & Oats

    I’m loving the creative dishes! I leave for 4 weeks in a week and a half so I’ll be doing the same!

  17. sheila

    elise! this is totally useless after the fact but that red sauce looks like i one i had also bought and later realized it had chicken broth/fat in it! just wanted to give you a heads up in case it’s the same one and you’re planning to buy it again!

Comments are closed.