Chickpea and Kale Soup

First of all, sorry for the month long hiatus. I have been super busy with the end of school, a wedding, two bachelorette parties, another wedding this weekend, getting ready to start grad school (!), two hs graduations, a preschool graduation, etc. Kevin has since started a new internship and started summer school. Soo we have been busy which means the blog took a back seat. But don't you worry- while all this craziness was going on I was eating delicious vegan/vegetarian meals. I haven't been able to prepare as many thoughtful vegan meals so we kept it simple- which is sometimes better. For example, over memorial day we had a delicious simple vegan feast: vegan hot dogs with homemade sauerkraut (made by Kevin), sweet potato fries, and roasted corn. Who wouldn't love that meal?! Yesterday we grilled out again at the lake and we had portabella mushroom burgers, beans, and roasted corn. Kevin has a wonderful trick with the corn that keeps it so moist without any butter. Maybe he'll share that with you. 


One thing I do when we are so busy (to avoid eating out) is make soups. Also, a couple of weeks ago I was having a break down of eating too many carbs. I realized I needed more soups (not to be confused with more cow bell). So I found this recipe just in time. It's delicious and so good for you. Kale is a superfood that I definitely need to eat more of. 

from our kitchen to yours :)


Chickpea and Kale Soup
adapted from fat free vegan


1 large onion diced
2 carrots
4 large garlic cloves
spices:
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8-1/4 teaspoon chilli powder or cayenne
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 bay leaves
2 3-inch cinnamon stick
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
8 cups vegetable broth (or water plus bouillon)
1 large bunch kale, thick center ribs removed and chopped (at least 8 cups)
about 2 cups water
salt to taste


Add the carrots and onions. Cook until brown. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Next add the spices and cook for another minute. Add the chickpeas and coat in the spice mixture. Pour in the veggie stock, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 20 minutes. I did this part ahead of time and left to simmer until I was ready to add the kale. Add the kale and cook until desired tenderness is achieved. Enjoy :) 


This recipe has wonderful taste from the cinnamon and spices. It's super healthy because the nutrients in the kale are cooked into the broth. Can't beat it!


Oh and the original recipe called for saffron. I'm sure this would be a welcome addition but we didn't miss it one bit. Ok next post will be another soup (I wasn't kidding about soups!) that you HAVE to try!