Curried Chickpea and Kale Soup

Alright.  I'm going to try this whole blogging thing again.  There is one thing I need to mention, however.  It's going to be all vegan recipes from here on out.  I do also want to point out though that just as easy as you can make a recipe fit for vegans, you can make these fit for meat and/or dairy consumers.  Not that I encourage that though.  :-)

It won't need it.  

So this is a recipe that I modified from epicurious.com (the link is at the bottom of the page as a reference).  It's an African soup and I did make a lot of changes.

Here are the ingredients (my modified ones):

2 tablespoons canola oil (any oil works)

1 medium onion (about 6 ounces), chopped

1 medium red bell pepper (about 6 ounces), chopped

1 jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped

3-4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup chopped tomatoes, seeded and peeled, fresh or canned (I used a 14 oz can)

4 cups raw kale, chopped

1/2 head fresh broccoli, chopped

1 1/2 Tablespoon hot curry powder (you can use mild)

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon tumeric

salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus additional for garnishing

Process:

This is so easy, that is part of why I loved it.  You heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat.  Add the onion, pepper and jalapeno and cook for 5-10 minutes or until they start to stick to the pan just slightly.  Add the garlic and cook for about 1 more minute.  Add the spices and STIR for 1 minute.

**This is really important.  It opens up the spices when you cook them before adding any liquid to your concoction**

Add the veggies! (chickpeas, kale, broccoli, etc)  Stir until they are coated with the seasoning goodness.  Then add the tomatoes and veggie broth.  Simmer (low boil) this for about 10-15 minutes.  It will look like this business:

Rhen add the coconut milk and cilantro.  Stir and let warm for as long as you want until you're ready to serve!

**The longer it sets, the better it gets!!

Now, I served this with fresh-made pita (recipe also on this blog).  You can, however, serve this over brown rice and it would be just as delightful.

**Those of you who want to destroy it with your animal products can add any or all of the following:

• chicken or lamb (you will want to saute that in before you add the veggies)
• top it with plain yogurt or sour cream
• using ghee or clarified butter instead of oil for sauteing 

Anyway, the link at the bottom is a direct one to the recipe I used.  Let me know what you think!  I think this is a good one to kick off my almost year hiatus from this website!

Let us talk basic kneeds!

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/African-Curried-Coconut-Soup-with-Chickpeas-352349#ixzz2PAKOrWXy