I am having an affair

I am having an affair

     

     I confess.  I'm having a serious love affair with garbanzo beans, chickpeas, gram, Bengal gram, Egyptian peas, whichever name you prefer.  I say garbanzo beans just because it's so fun to say. 😁

     

   Garbanzo beans are nutritious, a wonderful source of protein.  They aren't exactly low calorie, but the health perks supersede that fact.  A half cup has 364 calories, 875 mg potassium, 19 g protein, plus they are fiber rich, a great source of iron, vitamin B6 and magnesium.

     

     They are so versatile.  Salad ingredient, roasting them makes an excellent snack, add a little tahini and olive oil, then put them in the food processor and voila! you have hummus!  Garbanzos are a staple in my house, I buy them canned and dried.

     Last weekend I wanted to make some soup, so I found this recipe at Pinterest.

     It's North African Garbanzo Bean Soup, and let me tell you it is absolutely, positively delicious!  I'm sure it's now my favorite soup EVER!!!  I made it in my crockpot, but it would work just as well on the stove.  

     I sautéed the carrot's, onion, garlic until they softened, about 5 minutes or so.  I then added the spices, (ginger, cumin and coriander).  I used powdered ginger, if you use fresh ginger, sauté it with the veggies.

           

     Oh, yeah! This smells so good while it's cooking!

     I like heat, so I added a heaping tablespoon  of harissa sauce to mine in the crockpot, it's really spicy now!

     Give this soup a try, I think you like it too!  It's vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.

North African Garbanzo Bean Soup

about 6 servings

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger, or 1/4 teaspoon powdered

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2-15 ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1-14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

6 cups vegetable broth

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley (I used regular parsley)

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion, carrots, garlic and fresh ginger (if using fresh) and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cumin, coriander, cayenne and powdered ginger (if not using fresh ginger).  

Transfer the onion mixture to the crockpot.  Add the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, broth, and salt & pepper.  Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.

Stir in the lemon juice and add the parsley.  Cook 10 minutes longer. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

This next step is optional.  Use an immersion blender and partially purée the soup to add more body to the broth.  Or, ladle  about 2 or 3 cups into a regular blender or food processor and purée until smooth, return to the crockpot and stir.

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Pinterest: Lisa Caldwell

"Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels."