Persian Herb Chickpeas with Coconut Rice

Give (chick)peas a chance! 

My new favorite ingredient this summer has been lemon! I always avoided it in the past because I found it to be a tad overwhelming to the palate, however, paired with fresh herbs and the creamy coolness of yogurt, it really takes this meal to the next level! You can enjoy this as a light vegetarian dish or serve it with some lemon-herb marinated grilled chicken!

I love trying out new Mediterranean or Asian dishes during the warmer months because they rely heavily on herbs and spices for seasoning and focus more on vegetables and legumes over heavy meat-based dishes. I also love that they use yogurt here as a savory and creamy accompaniment to cool off this rich and flavorful sauce.

For the rice, I have been using light coconut milk in place of water because it adds so much flavor and texture. I recommend you use Basmati rice for this recipe, however, I only had brown rice in my pantry so by boiling it in a can of light coconut milk with a pinch of salt, it made the rice more fluffy.