Spicy Tomato Chickpea Soup

One freezing cold night I had to drive home in the icy rain and when I got home my husband had this YUMMY soup waiting on the stove. That was the first reason I fell in love with this soup. The second is because it is so good. This is now my go-to when I want a tomato soup and the leftover usually don't last more than 24 hours. This recipe is from one of my all-time favorite vegan cookbooks, Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm

Serves 4

2-3 T olive oil

1 sweet onion

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t chili flakes

1/2 t mustard seeds

1/2 t turmeric

1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 t salt

2 T nutritional yeast (optional)

1 C hot water

Black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. 

Add onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened. 

Add garlic, cumin, and chili flakes and stir for another minute. 

Add the mustard seeds, turmeric, and the drained chickpeas. Sauté until the chickpeas begin to turn golden. 

Add the tomatoes and salt and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until tomatoes are cooked. 

Transfer the soup to a blender. Add nutritional yeast and hot water and blend until smooth. 

Serve with fresh cracked black pepper. 

My husband topped our soup with homemade croutons made from sautéing cubed bread in vegan butter in a pan until golden and crunchy.