Cauliflower, Carrot, Chickpea & Cumin Soup

I know, a hot soup post in August? Interestingly, it's cooler here in California than it was during my 10 day trip to England, and heck, I'm nursing the dreaded summer head cold, so soup is decidedly appealing!

This soup was absolutely sweet and delicious! Organic cauliflower with sweet, sweet carrots, chickpeas for protein, sweet peas for a color contrast, and cumin and coriander spices, garlic and ginger for a mild tangy Indian flavor. I planned to include potatoes, but in my jet-lagged, head-cold state, I forgot them! No matter! It made the soup lighter and sweeter and that was not a problem.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower, Carrot, Chickpea & Cumin Soup:

1 TBS olive oil
1/2 white onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 TBS ground cumin
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 TBS butter or olive oil
1/2 small cauliflower, cut into small florettes
3/4 cut baby carrots, sliced
salt
5 cups mixture vegetable broth and water
1 TBSP tomato paste
5 oz chickpeas
1/2 cup frozen peas
salt & pepper


Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a heavy bottomed big pan and add the onion. Cook over low heat for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, cuming, coriander seeds and coriander. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Add the butter or additional olive oil, the cauliflower and carrots, a pinch of salt, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to avoid sticking. Add the vegetable broth/water (I did 50/50), tomato paste, bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas and peas and simmer an additional 5-6 minutes. Season to taste.