Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Spicy Tomato Chickpea Soup


Tomato soup in winter sounds good. Spicy tomato soup sounds better. And spicy tomato soup made with pureed chickpeas? Awesome! This recipe from Vegan Yum Yum is a winner.

Spicy Tomato Chickpea Soup
  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil (I omitted the oil and used vegetable broth)
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (I used about 1.5 cups of chickpeas I cooked)
  • 1 (28oz) can of diced tomatoes (or fresh plum tomatoes if in season)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 1 cup hot water
  • black pepper to taste

1. Sautee the diced onion in a large pot until soft, about three minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes and stir another minute.

2. Add the chickpeas, mustard seeds, and turmeric, and saute until the chickpeas turn golden. Note that if using veg broth in place of oil, keep adding enough broth so things don't stick to the pan.
3. Add tomatoes and salt and simmer 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked through.

4. Add the nutritional yeast if using and the hot water. Either transfer the soup to a blender to puree, or use an immersion blender. This was my first chance to use the immersion blender I got for Christmas. It was exciting and messy at the same time. Bits of pureed chickpeas and tomatoes were everywhere by the time I was done.
But the finished soup was amazing. Hearty and hot, it's a perfect winter comfort food. Plus, it's nutritious, light, and filling.
I liked it so much, I'm thinking of giving out jars of soup for holiday gifts this year instead of my usual vegan cookies. Wouldn't these jars look cute with some festive ribbon?

5 comments:

  1. That's a beautiful soup! Can't wait to try it!

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  2. Yummm! I would love it as a christmas gift so I don't see why others wouldn't!

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  3. I have the book and made this soup so many times. It's always in demand around here. Last time, I forgot about hot water, and everyone actually liked it better. So I think, I might continue cooking it that way in the future.

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  4. I also own the book ;-) I have several vegan tomato soup recipes but this one is my all time favorite! You can also use stewed tomatoes which also gives the soup a nice smooth and thick texture :-)

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  5. I have this cook book too! And...this is one of my favorite recipes.

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