Chickpea Curry in a slow cooker

I love the idea of a crockpot/slow cooker, but don't have many recipes that use it.  It's great for beef stew, but I haven't made that in years. I've never been happy with any of the chicken recipes I've tried.  But this chickpea curry is a keeper.  I'm always on the lookout to expand my repertoire of vegetarian recipes (I tend to cook the same few when we have vegetarian friends to dinner), so the combination of a vegetarian main dish and the slow cooker led me to try this out.  I'd call this a "homey" recipe--doesn't make the cut for an elegant dinner party, but just fine for a simple meal with good friends.

SLOW COOKER CHICKPEA CURRY WITH SWEET POTATOES & RED PEPPERS

makes 8-10 servings

adapted from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/slow_cooker_chickpea_curry_with_sweet_potatoes_and_red_peppers/

1 T. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 pound dried chickpeas, rinsed

2 T. curry powder

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 1/2" dice)
1 large or 2 small red or yellow peppers (about 1/2 lb)

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 15.5-ounce can coconut milk (lite is fine)

1/2 cup water

3 cloves garlic, minced (from jar is fine)

1 jalapeno, serrano, or fresno chili pepper

1 t. salt (or less)

6 cups spinach, roughly chopped, to serve

1/2 cup cooked brown rice, per person, to serve

curry condiments, e.g., chopped cashews, raisins or currants, chutney (I like hot lime relish)

Using a 6-quart or larger slow cooker, put the olive oil in the bottom. Add diced onion and stir to coat. Pour dried, rinsed chickpeas on top, then sprinkle the curry powder evenly over the beans.

Follow with the sweet potato, bell pepper, tomatoes, coconut milk, water, garlic, chili pepper, and salt.  Do not stir; leaving the chickpeas on the bottom helps everything cook evenly.

Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Total cook time will depend on your slow cooker and your chickpeas. The curry can be served any time after the chickpeas are soft and tender. It's fine if the curry cooks a little longer. The recipe is very forgiving—the curry will get thicker and creamier the longer it cooks. [The original recipe said to cook for 6-8 hours, but I left for 9-1/2 hours—just how it worked out in my day--and was happy with the results.]

Stir the curry well. Taste and add additional salt if needed. In a bowl, put 1/2 cup cooked brown rice and a handful of chopped fresh spinach.  Spoon the curry over the top and add further curry condiments as desired.

Alternate shorter cook time: To reduce cooking time, soak the chickpeas overnight, skip the extra water, and cook on high for 4-6 hours.  (I haven't tried this alternative. I liked the simplicity of using the beans right out of the bag, and it was convenient to assemble right after breakfast and have it finish up just at dinner time.)