Chickpea Tahini Bake

This is one of those dishes that doesn't look pretty (at all), but it tastes lovely!  I've never been much of a casserole sort of girl, so my liking this was a bit of a surprise.  I had 2 cups of cooked chickpeas that needed to be used up today, and a friend recommended that I try this recipe out.  I, of course, changed it some, as I always tend to do and then served it with a little garlic bread.  Plus, I didn't need such a humongous dish as I was the only person eating it, so I cut the measurements of the original recipe in half.  I ended up making what would be roughly 4 large servings in an 8x8 inch glass baking dish.  You really could add all sorts of goodies and spices into this casserole and I'm sure it would turn out lovely.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can of drained, rinsed chickpeas would likely work)
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked brown rice - I used brown basmati
• 3 TB tahini
• 3 TB water
• 1- 14oz can of diced tomatoes and their juice
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 TB lemon juice
• salt and pepper to your liking

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix the tahini and water together in a small bowl until it is fully combined and has thickened.
3. Saute the onion and garlic briefly in a skillet to soften somewhat.
4. In an 8x8 inch baking dish, mix all the ingredients together, including the tahini mix. Taste and adjust the seasonings as you see fit.
5. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake about 35 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned.  See? Easy as can be.