Spiced Chickpea & Veggie Samosas w. Mint Chutney

I LOVE samosas but miss them terribly since cutting gluten out of my diet. It must have been my lucky day because I’m scrolling through my Instagram feed and see this genius recipe from @mystiquezen. Instead of deep-frying pastry, she uses rice wrappers and stuffs them with aromatic spiced chickpeas, vegetables, toasted cashews and coconut, and then bakes them to a golden brown. Paired with a date-sweetened mint chutney for dipping, the result is a delicious and satisfying take on an iconic Indian snack. Now this is a hot pocket I am happy to feed my kids!

Gather

8½ inch round brown rice paper wrappers

Filling:
coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ginger, minced
¾ tsp. sea salt
½ cup unsalted raw cashews
¼ cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 ½ cup green peas
1 cup chickpeas
2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped

Spices:
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
½ Tbsp. mustard seeds
½ tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. coriander
¼ tsp. cardamom
⅛ tsp. cinnamon
cayenne to taste*

Chutney:
2 cups firmly packed mint leaves
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. minced ginger
2 dates
1 fresh serrano chili or cayenne pepper to taste*
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp. cold-pressed olive oil
sea salt to taste

*I omitted the cayenne for my kiddos

Method

1. In a deep skillet over medium heat, toast cashews until lightly golden. Remove from heat, roughly chop, and set aside. In the same skillet, lightly toast coconut until golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat a knob of oil in a frying pan. Add the cumin and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to “pop” add the onion, remaining spices, and minced ginger. Cook five minutes, then add the garlic. Cook a couple minutes, then add the carrots. Stir to coat with spices, cook five minutes, then add the peas and chickpeas. Remove from heat and stir in spinach, coconut and cashews.
3. Pour a couple inches of water into a large flat-bottomed bowl or shallow dish. One at a time, place a rice paper wrap in the water and let soften, just until it becomes pliable (this step is important- do not let the paper become completely soggy). Remove and place rice paper on flat surface. Slice rice paper circle in half. On both halves, place a generous scoop of the filling. Fold the bottom corner about a third of the way up the round side of the half followed by the top corner to meet the base of the fold you just made, creating a triangle. Fold the round edge up onto the top of the package to seal it.
4. Lightly brush the tops of the samosas with melted coconut oil samosas. Sprinkle with coconut if desired. Place samosas in 375°F oven. Bake until lightly browned and crisp.
5. To make the chutney, pulse the garlic, ginger, and chili in a food processor. Add dates, mint leaves, lime juice and olive oil. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Add salt to taste. Add more olive oil to thin, if necessary. Note: I also served with Coconut Secret Organic Raw Coconut Aminos for dipping.