Chickpea Tacos — The Meal I Made While Hana Had Her Sweet Potato Sound

June. The month I leave Amazon forever. My last day is June 30. Twenty-seven days. I am counting down not with dread but with a calm, steady anticipation — the way you count down to something you've already decided is right, when the deciding was the hard part and the countdown is just logistics.

Hana is five and a half months old and she has a favorite food: sweet potato puree. She eats it with the enthusiasm of someone who has been waiting her entire life for sweet potatoes and cannot believe it took this long. She opens her mouth before the spoon arrives. She kicks her feet. She makes a sound that James calls "the sweet potato sound" — a satisfied hum. I make the puree fresh — one sweet potato, steamed until soft, mashed with a little breast milk. Hana eats the entire thing. She is her mother's daughter. She eats with intention and approval and no apology.

Banchan Labs: June box shipped. 3,400 subscribers. Summer theme: "Backyard Grill" — a reprise of the BBQ collection with new recipes. James is running the company with increasing confidence. He has found his rhythm — morning operational calls, afternoon logistics, evening recipe review with me. We work well together. We argue about margins and packaging and whether the new gochujang supplier is as good as the old one (he says yes; I say almost; Grace says neither is as good as Jisoo's, and Grace is right). The arguments are productive. The company is healthy. The marriage is healthy. The baby is healthy. Everything is healthy, and I am trying to trust it, trying not to wait for the other shoe, trying to live inside the wellness without looking for the exit.

Karen had a rough week. The Parkinson's flared — her balance was off on Monday, she stumbled on Tuesday (David caught her), and by Thursday she was using the walker exclusively, even inside the house. Dr. Bhandari adjusted the medication again. The adjustments are becoming more frequent, which is not a good sign. The disease progresses. The disease always progresses. Slowly — the word we cling to — but progressively, and the progression is visible now in ways it was not a year ago. I went to Bellevue on Saturday with Hana. Karen held the baby. Her hands shook. Hana did not mind. Hana has never known Karen without the shaking. For Hana, the shaking is just halmeoni Karen. The shaking is normal. The shaking is part of the person. I am envious of Hana's acceptance. Children accept the world as it is. Adults grieve the world as it was.

The recipe this week is Hana's sweet potato puree — because it is her favorite, because she eats it with a sound, because the sound is the most satisfying review a chef has ever received. One medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed. Steam for fifteen minutes until fork-tender. Mash with a fork until smooth. Add breast milk or formula until it reaches a thin, spoonable consistency. Serve warm. Watch your daughter eat it. Listen for the sound. The sound is worth everything. The sound is the review. The sound is five stars.

Hana had the sweet potato puree. The rest of us needed dinner too — and on a Saturday night in Bellevue, after watching Karen hold the baby with shaking hands and driving home with my heart full of things I couldn’t quite name, I wanted something that came together without a lot of effort but still felt like I was feeding my family with intention. These chickpea tacos have become exactly that for me: fast enough for a weeknight, satisfying enough to feel like a real meal, and simple enough that I could make them while replaying the afternoon in my head and listening to James talk through the June logistics from the other room.

Chickpea Tacos

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 8 small flour or corn tortillas, warmed
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup fresh salsa or pico de gallo
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Dry the chickpeas. Pat the drained and rinsed chickpeas thoroughly dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. The drier they are, the better they will crisp in the pan.
2. Season. In a large bowl, toss the dried chickpeas with olive oil, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne (if using), salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
3. Cook the chickpeas. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chickpeas in a single layer. Cook for 15–18 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the chickpeas are golden, slightly crispy on the outside, and fragrant. Adjust heat as needed to avoid burning.
4. Warm the tortillas. While the chickpeas cook, warm the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 45 seconds.
5. Assemble. Spoon a generous portion of crispy chickpeas onto each warm tortilla. Top with shredded cabbage, avocado slices, a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, salsa, and fresh cilantro.
6. Serve. Squeeze fresh lime over everything just before eating. Serve immediately while the chickpeas are still warm and slightly crispy.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 14g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 52g | Fiber: 11g | Sodium: 540mg