Veggie Grape Leaves

Place the chickpeas on a cutting board and place a tea towel over them. With a rolling pin, crush the chickpeas. Place them in a bowl of water for a few minutes so the skins can float to the top. Remove and discard the skins. Place the chickpeas in a bowl and combine them with rice, parsley, green onion, chopped tomatoes, mint, cinnamon and oil. Mix well.

Take one grape leaf at a time and lay out on a flat surface with the stem toward you and shiny side face down. Place a spoonful of the mixture across the width of the leaf, fold in the 2 sides and roll the leaf tightly, like a cigar. Continue with all remaining grape leaves.

In a sauce pan, put the canned whole tomatoes and the lemon juice. Place the grape leaves snug on top of the tomatoes. Put a heat-safe plate on top to keep them all together, cover with a lid, bring to boil and then lower heat to simmer (medium-low) and cook for 30-35 minutes. Remove the grape leaves from the tomatoes and serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold. These are great with a side of hummus.