Here is a vegetarian soup to treat the family to on a cool spring night. Traditionally finished with a spoonful of harissa, a spicy North African chili sauce, this soup can also be heated up with a few dashes of hot sauce if you like. Serve with crusty bread.
Moroccan Vegetable Soup
15 ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 parsnips, chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 ml (1 tbsp) minced fresh ginger root
15 ml (1 tbsp) ground coriander
5 ml (1 tsp) each ground cumin, paprika and salt
2 ml (1/2 tsp) each pepper and cayenne
1 can (796 ml/28 oz) diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 l (4 cups) vegetable broth
1 can (540 ml/19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
500 ml (2 cups) baby spinach, stems removed
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, parsnips and sweet potato; saute until lightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne.
Add tomatoes and broth; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until parsnips and sweet potato are tender, about 20 minutes.
In a blender or with immersion blender, puree soup as smooth as you like. Return to pan. Add chickpeas and heat through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in spinach until wilted.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Nutritional information per serving (when recipe serves 8): 231 calories; 7 g protein; 3 g fat; 44 g carbohydrates.
Source: Foodland Ontario.
