Moroccan flavors with spices I used in this soup, paprika, cumin and cinnamon add so much flavor. This one-pot, one-meal soup is easy to make, its hearty and you will enjoy for a few days.
There are more than a dozen Moroccan spices. The ones I added to the soup and others include cardamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, allspice, dry ginger, chili peppers, coriander seeds, peppercorn and turmeric. These spices are used with fish, chicken, vegetables and couscous.
The herbs and spices have health benefits throughout history. Many of these spices were used for their medicinal properties before they were used in cooking. Cinnamon for example, (one of my favorites) is beneficial for lowering blood sugar, has strong antioxidant properties, and helps to fight inflammation.
Chickpeas are a Superfood! According to Beet.com I found this interesting article I wanted to share!
Chickpeas may be the most environmentally friendly legume
“Chickpeas can save the planet! Well, not all by themselves, but chickpeas are recognized as a superfood by the United Nations, as well as governments and food industry agencies around the world. Why? Because chickpeas, according to NPR, “fix their own nitrogen from the atmosphere, leaving extra stores of the nutrient in the soil for future crops to consume.” Chickpeas can also, under proper farming conditions, sequester carbon and mitigate climate change as a result. Wow. That is a superfood. Go chickpeas! “
To Healthy Cooking and Eating!
Melissa
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Moroccan Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil Plus more for garnish
- 1 lge Onion Chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic Minced
- 2-3 sticks Celery Finely chopped
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon More or less to taste
- 1 tsp Ground cumin More or less to taste
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper More if you want more heat
- 1 tsp Sweet paprika More or less to taste
- 2 cups Cherry Tomatoes Halved
- 3 14oz Chickpeas, canned drained and rinse. Or you can make fres
- 4 cups Vegetable broth 1 quart
- 2 cups Baby spinach Chopped
- 1 cup Shredded carrots Use pre-shredded or grate about 3 whole carrots.
- Salt + pepper To taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, minced garlic, and thinly chopped celery and cook until onion becomes translucent (reduce heat if they start to brown).
- Add spices (cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper and paprika) and cook for about one minute, stirring.
- Add tomatoes, chickpeas and broth (be sure the chickpeas are covered by the broth - if they're not covered, add just enough water to cover them). Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Stir in spinach and let it cook through the heat of the soup for a couple of minutes until wilted.
- Taste and add more spices and salt/pepper if needed.
