Carrot Soup with Roasted Chickpeas and Lemon Tahini

It’s been a little colder the last few weeks so I thought a warm bowl of soup would be a nice thing to come home to. After all the eating from Thanksgiving I settled on a healthy and hearty soup made from carrots and garnished with chickpeas and tahini. I’m not usually a fan of pureed soups but this one caught my eye because of all the tasty garnishes on top. I was already a big fan of Baked Chickpeas so I was excited to try them out in a soup. I was surprised at how well all the ingredients came together. I loved the earthy flavor of the carrot soup with the tangy tahini and crispy chickpeas. I served the soup with a few slices of pita bread which also served as an edible spoon!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and patted dry
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tbsp tahini paste
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Pinch or two of salt
• 2 tbsp water
• Pita wedges, garnish
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Heat two tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat.
2. Add carrots, onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper flakes and sauté until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 425F. Toss chickpeas with one tablespoon olive oil, salt and cumin until they’re coated.
4. Spread them on a baking sheet or pan and roast them in the oven until they’re browned and crisp, about 10-20 minutes.
5. Once vegetables have begun to brown, add broth. Cover pot and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile,whisk together tahini, lemon juice, salt and water until smooth with a yogurt-like consistency. Add more lemon juice or water to reach the right consistency.
7. Puree soup in a food processor until smooth.
8. Ladle into bowls. Dollop each with lemon-tahini, chickpeas and garnish with parsley. Serve with pita wedges.