Asparagus & Chickpea Casserole

We had a get together last night with a group of our friends but they were getting together at a local restaurant that doesn't have a single meat/dairy free item on the menu - even the salads have meat and/or cheese! So we chose to meet up with them after dinner and have dinner at home. We've found a few restaurants here in Oklahoma that work okay for us but not that many. I'm thinking if someone would open a vegetarian/vegan restaurant, (yes, I know about Matthew Kenney but raw vegan doesn't appeal to me) they could make a fortune just for having no competition. :) Wish I had leanings toward going into the restaurant business but I just don't. :)
Being a Saturday night, I didn't want to spend too much time cooking - although I'd spent quite a bit of time earlier in the day gathering food stuffs -- first at the Farmer's Market, then at one of our local grocers, then Sprouts Farmers Market and then Whole Foods! I just can't seem to get everything I need at one place. The good thing about going to Whole Foods is that I can plug the electric car in while I'm there and it always gets attention. (I just love spreading the word on how great it is -- note: see comments in first post about spreading the word on things I'm passionate about!)




Since I had some lovely asparagus and areally good recipe for making a casserole with it, dinner was a no-brainer.
Asparagus & Chickpea Casserole
1 medium onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable broth
2 tablespoons flour (or 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to make it gluten free!)
1 cup vegetable broth
3/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use almond milk)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 package frozen hash brown potatoes
Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the two tablespoons of broth and the onions. Cook until onions soften, 2-3 minutes. Add the celery, mushrooms, and garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until mushrooms soften. Add the asparagus and a little more vegetable broth if needed, cover pan, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until asparagus is bright green and beginning to become tender.
Whisk the flour (or cornstarch) into the cup of vegetable broth. Add it, the milk, nutritional yeast, thyme, and basil and heat until bubbly. It will thicken as it cooks. Add the chickpeas and salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with an even layer of potatoes. Sprinkle potatoes with salt, if desired.
Bake until casserole is bubbly and top is lightly browned, 45 minutes. If top does not completely brown, place it under the broiler for a few seconds.
Here's what it looks like after adding the liquids:




Here is it before going into the oven:




And here is it on the plate accompanied by corn salad and some yummy lentils:




Luckily there were a few leftovers - it's almost lunch time! :)
- Posted by Jennifer

Location:Home, sweet home