Chickpea soup with rice
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope it’s truly been a lovely start to 2020 for you so far. For me, I’m pleased to say I’ve been doing a better job of staving off New Year’s blues than usual.
I know, new year is meant to be met with excitement and the joyous momentum of fresh starts. But is anyone with me in feeling like the abruptness with which holiday lights and festive traditions—along with the spirit of peace and joy that go with them—are shoved back in their boxes and stored away is…just kind of draining and sad? This year, though, Chef F and I put our all into making our motto “Keep Christmas with you” (thank you, Sesame Street…you are ever wise, kind and in-tune with emotion, like your neighbor Mr. Rogers). We lingered over favorite ornaments and finished off our (healthy) Christmas cookies from the freezer while we bared the tree. I’m actually rather proud.
I’m as fired up as anyone to get working toward some new and ongoing goals with renewed force, but wouldn’t it be nice if everyone had a bit more built-in time to actually relax and reflect this time of year? The bustle of holiday festivities is behind us—just—but so quickly replaced with more typical stress. It’s winter, post-holidays, and a perfect time to take a moment to breathe and indulge in a little self-nourishment.
Speaking of, here’s a comforting combo of nourishment with nostalgia. Remember Chicken Soup with Rice, by Maurice Sendak? Or am I just that old? Surely it’s a classic, if not quite as iconic as Where the Wild Things Are. Just the thought of the lyrical refrains is soothing. And when Chef F caught a doozy of a (fortunately, short-lived) stomach bug just before New Year, that’s what I wanted to make him…only of course, we don’t eat meat. Chef F is interestingly more and more adamant about and proud of that fact.
What’s a natural vegan swap for chicken in soup? It has to be chickpeas, and it’s not just because of the tempting alliteration. OK, it is the alluring alliteration—it’s just so satisfying subbing in a ch-word for a ch-word. But it also works, in taste and sound. Not only for chickpea soup with rice, but with chickpea noodle soup, chickpeas and salsa…let your creative juices and taste buds guide you.
There’s not a lot to say specifically about this warming soup. It’s just what you need it to be: versatile, healthy, power-packed and comforting. In case you’re wondering, you can make it doubly easy on yourself and throw everything—dry rice not cooked— into the slow cooker…just be sure to eat it fairly promptly once your rice is cooked (about 5 hours on low, 2-3 on high). Don’t let it sit on warm for too long unless you’re more in the mood for congee than soup. You can also go ahead and toss dry rice into the soup pot; plain white rice will probably work best here, cooking speedily.
But back to that holiday bug: I’m not saying it was the soup that did it, but Chef F really did rebound fast, and this dish was one of the only things outside of dry crackers and toast he could muster eating. There’s also much to be said for the time to pause. Soon he was low level sick—the kind that actually makes something of a pleasant childhood memory. And sweet memory for me. Is it terrible to actually enjoy (a little bit) my child’s sick day? We had cuddles and snuggles, books, a movie, and soup. Sipping once, sipping twice, chickpea soup with rice is nice. Be well!
Chickpea soup with rice
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 medium celery stalks, sliced
1 small (or 1/2 medium) yellow onion, diced)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 cups vegetable stock
2 cups cooked rice of choice (brown or wild/blend work best if keeping leftovers) or 1 cup dry if using slow cooker or white
2 cups chopped spinach or kale
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Coat a soup pot with cooking spray and heat on medium. Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook, stirring regularly, 5 minutes, or until onions are turning soft and translucent.
Add garlic, pepper, and spices and cook one minute more.
Add chickpeas and broth and turn up heat to bring soup to a simmer for five minutes.
Add rice and spinach and continue simmering approximately 10 minutes more, or until rice is cooked through depending on whether you go with cooked or dry . Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!