Chickpea & Rice Soup

Happy December 23rd! We're having snowy but warmer weather (seems to be becoming the norm now) so it looks like winter and Christmas but being outside it is not as frosty as it has been in previous years. Global climate change is not a myth.


This is an easy soup that is made fairly quickly. Don't make it too far ahead of time unless you only add the cooked rice just before serving or else it will become a mush.

Chickpea & Rice Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
Cracked black pepper to taste
2 tbsp white wine
6 cups stock
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 cup shredded kale
1 cup cooked rice
1/3 cup miso
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onions and carrots until they start to soften. Add celery, garlic and herbs/
spices and continue to sauté until the garlic is fragrant.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine.

Add the stock and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer, covered, 10 minutes.

Stir in the kale and leave to cook for another 4 or 5 minutes.

Stir in miso and rice. Don't let the soup boil again once you have added the miso. Let it simmer until the kale is cooked to your desired texture (but it will never become mushy.) Taste and add salt as per your taste.

Voila!

Merry Christmas and peace to you and your family.

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Crockpot lentil quinoa stew

I posted this yesterday but it doesn't seem to want to show up. Maybe now I'll have it twice?

This makes a hearty stew. If you want to make it into a soup, add a couple cups broth once it's done cooking to make it thinner. We ate it with rice and baked tofu.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa
3/4 cup uncooked small red lentils (masoor dhal)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 leek, well washed and sliced thin
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
2 inch piece cinnamon stick
1 tbsp grated ginger or a couple slices of ginger
1 hot pepper, sliced in two and seeded
6 cups water
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp gr coriander
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaf
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp salt or to taste
fresh ground black pepper
4 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
2 cups chopped fresh chard

Wash and check the lentils for little rocks. Add all the ingredients to the crockpot except the greens and cook on low for 5 hours. Add the greens and cook for another 30 minutes or more if needed for the squash.

Easy! This is a modified recipe based on what I had in my fridge. You could replace the squash with cauliflower or sweet potato if you wanted. I find regular potato takes too long to cook. Any greens can replace the chard.


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