Chakra Recipes: Chickpea Curry for Solar Plexus

I love hearing from Peaceful Dumpling readers and when one recently requested that we do chakra recipes, I knew immediately I'd call dibs on solar plexus chakra. It is located around your navel and is the seat of your sense of Power, Abundance, Wealth, and Agency. It is associated with the color yellow and the element fire. Naturally, the physical symptoms of solar plexus imbalance are related to digestive issues, as well as collapsed torso (eeek don't know what that looks like but does *not* sound good) and weak core. As someone with an iron stomach, who is a textbook Pitta, I don't manifest any physical symptoms of imbalance here. But I do see in myself tendency to swing from overabundance and deficiency of fire energy. When the fire is burning low, you feel weak as if everything is being done unto you, rather than by you. When the fire is burning high, you feel too obsessed with control and power and achievement. Here is something that I've been reflecting about fire energy: with fire, neither too weak, flickering a flame (a match flame!) nor an all-consuming supernova (Smaug?) is ideal. The best kind of fire is bright, sustaining, and warm. The best kind of fire is also something you can *control* and maintain. It doesn't suddenly go out or burn everything down. All you Pittas out there might know exactly what I'm talking about! :D This is a recipe I've made to encourage that kind of sustaining fire within you. Actually, I've been making this spinach chickpea curry a lot--it's inspired by a chickpea salad at our local deli that we love. It is full of warming spices like ginger, cumin, and turmeric (doesn't that yellow make you feel wealthy?). It's also full of plant protein so you can feel powerful! I hope this curry kindles that kind of good fire in you.