Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Spiced Vegetable Soup With Lentils & Garbanzo Beans


Ah, so summer is just about over, the first NFL football games were played yesterday (and tonight is Monday Night Football), there is a chill in the air most mornings...but 80 degrees in the afternoon...and my garden is producing mad amounts of tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, herbs, kale, onion, leeks, beets and chard. Yes fall is almost here. This means the weekly summer posts with Food Network have ended for the year but, never fear, Fall Fest has arrived. This means that each week a number of bloggers receive an assignment from Food Network. We all create a recipe using the same item or theme and then we share all the recipes with you. The 2015 line up is as follows:

FN Dish Fall Fest 2015 Themes

September
17: Soup
24: Apples

October
1: Sweet potatoes
8: Pumpkin 
15: Cauliflower
22: Squash 
29: Halloween 

November
5: Brussels sprouts
12: Carrots
19: Favorite Thanksgiving side dish

December
3: Holiday appetizer 
10: Holiday cookies
17: Favorite holiday side dish


Since we are starting with soup, I thought I would share one of my favorites. This spiced vegetable soup can be made year-round, just swap out the vegetables. In winter, I use canned tomatoes. In summer, I throw in some freshly shucked corn on the cob. Whatever is in season will probably work. Just ensure the ingredients are as fresh as possible, organic or home-grown if you can. Enjoy!



Spiced Vegetable Soup With Lentils & Garbanzo Beans
1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas)
1 onion, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
8 cups homemade or organic store-bought vegetable stock
4 1/2 cups water, reserved from bean soaking liquid
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp cilantro, very finely chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, coarsely chopped
3 tsp kosher salt
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 bunch kale, chiffonade and roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
4 celery stalks, chopped
4 large heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 cup lentils (I like either yellow or pink in this dish, but any kind will work)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp mace
small pinch red pepper flakes
small pinch freshly cracked black pepper
5 oz whole wheat, small elbow macaroni
2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
2 tbsp Italian parsley, whole leaves

1. Place chickpeas (garbanzo beans) in a large stockpot and cover with 5 inches of water. Let soak at least 8 hours, or overnight. Drain beans reserving 4 cups of soaking liquid. Place beans in a bowl.
2. Add 3 tbsp olive oil to stockpot and heat until warm. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent (about 5 min). Add chickpeas, stock and the 4 cups of reserved soaking liquid. Simmer until beans are tender, approx 45 minutes.
3. Using the side of a chef's knife, mash the garlic, cilantro and salt into a paste. Add garlic paste, bell pepper, kale, celery, tomatoes, lentils, tomato paste, and all the spices to bean mixture. Squeeze the juice from one lemon juice to the pot. Stir. Simmer uncovered until lentils are tender. 30-40 minutes.
4. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, approx 10 minutes.
5. Stir in coarsely chopped cilantro and parsley.
6. Garnish with parsley leaves and serve with remaining lemon wedges.



It is Soup week at Food Network's Fall Fest roundup. Do you have a favorite soup recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chilled Spiced Peach Soup
Red or Green? Spiced Vegetable Soup with Lentils & Garbanzo Beans
Feed Me Phoebe: Portuguese Kale Soup with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes
The Mom 100: Avgolemono Soup
The Lemon Bowl: Red Lentil Turkish Soup
The Heritage Cook: Soul-Warming Tomato Soup with Peppers and Onions (Gluten-Free)
Healthy Eats: 6 Healthy Soups for the First Tailgate of the Season
Domesticate Me: Five Spice Sweet Potato Soup
Taste with the Eyes: Chicken Soup with Exotic Saffron Matzoh Balls
FN Dish: It's Almost Spoon Season: Top Classic Soups to Simmer Now

best,
diane

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.

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