Moroccan-Spiced Vegetable Soup. This veggie soup is nowhere near bland and boring. Spiced with a blend of exotic flavors, you'll be looking forward to seconds! An easy, flavorful and nutritious meal for a cold day.
Tomorrow is December, which means that I basically just want to sit around watching Christmas movies and bake cookies until Santa arrives. {We're still working on warming Cole up to the idea of the jolly guy -- he was petrified when he saw him at the mall.}
As much as I want to stuff my face with Christmas treats {like these White Chocolate Mocha Mini Pound Cakes. YUM.}, I know that it may not fare well for my waistline or well-being, so I'm trying to keep the veggies coming to balance things out. Sometimes "adulting"is no fun.
This soup, however, is not an example one of those times, because it's filled with enticing aromas and exotic spices that make eating your veggies anything but boring.
The blend of spices in this hearty vegetable soup are some of the very spices you might be using in your cookie-baking this time of year: cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, to name a few. While that may sound strange in a savory dish, they harmonize perfectly with the salty olives, hearty chickpeas and tender artichoke hearts that give this soup some heft. Keep it vegetarian by leaving this recipe as-is, or shred up roasted or rotisserie chicken breast for extra protein. Served with a scoop of couscous {rice or quinoa would work well here, too}, it makes a satisfying, warming meal that also happens to be brimming with nutrients and fiber.
But nobody wants to think about all that technical stuff this time of year, so just trust me when I say that while it may not be a cookie or a giant slice of pie, it's a dish that will definitely bring "comfort and joy!"
Moroccan-Spiced Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh-grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 13.75 ounce can artichoke hearts (not marinated), drained & rough chopped
- ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives roughly chopped
- Salt to taste*
Instructions
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until they are softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add grated ginger, garlic and all spices, stirring to coat. Cook for about a minute.
- Slowly pour in vegetable broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to removed brown bits. Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, artichokes and olives.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Serve with warm couscous, rice or quinoa. Garnish with cilantro if desired.