Prepare your rice. You can use any variety. Quinoa works too. You can even use pre-cooked rice in frozen bags for super quick meal prep. cook and set aside to stay warm.

Add to blender or food processor: peanut butter, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, maple, water, lime and a starting amount of the paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Blend from low to high and back to low again for a few minutes – until nice and smooth. Do a small taste test and adjust the heat and salt to your tastes. Note: the flavor WILL condense and evolve after you cook the sauce.. Set blender aside.

Warm a large skillet over high heat. Add one tablespoon olive oil. Then add the drained and rinsed chickpeas. Toss in the oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, to lightly toast the edges and remove any excess moisture.

Turn the skillet heat to low (or off if your skillet is really hot.) Then slowly pour the peanut sauce over the chickpeas. NOTE: I only used about ¾ of my sauce. You can use it all or sauce any excess for another meal. Toss the chickpeas in the sauce. Don’t worry if some of the sauce clumps a bit, it doesn’t ruin the flavor – you just do not want too many clumps. Clumps mean that your skillet is still too hot. You just want a silky, thickened sauce draping your chickpeas.

Fold the spinach into the chickpeas.

To serve: Add the rice and chickpeas to a bowl. Top with chopped peanuts, lime wedge garnish is optional. Optional hot sauce or sriracha on top is nice if you want more heat.