Chickpea soup recipe – Kirsten Chick

This week Nutritional Therapist, Kirsten Chick, shares her absolutely divine chickpea soup recipe to warm your cockles and give your body a boost during these colder months…

This delicious chickpea soup mostly comprises things beginning with C:

Chickpeas – 200g cooked weight
Carrots – 2 medium sized or 1 large, finely sliced
Cabbage – large handful, finely shredded
Cumin seeds – 2-3tsp
Coriander, fresh – large handful, roughly chopped, for garnish
Coriander powder – 2tsp
Coconut oil – 1-2tbsp

Plus:

Onion – 1 medium-sized, finely chopped
Garlic – 1 clove, finely chopped
Turmeric powder – 1-2tsp
Black pepper – 1/2tsp
Tamari or sea salt to taste

Chickpea soup recipe:

1. Gently fry the onions and spices in the coconut oil till soft – chop the garlic, but don’t add just yet

2. Add the vegetables, then the chickpeas, and add enough stock or water to just cover them; then bring to the boil and simmer with the lid on

3. When the vegetables are almost soft, add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes

4. Blend, season and serve with a garnish of fresh coriander leaves

This is another tasty veggie soup that gives you both protein (in the form of chickpeas) and vegetables with some earthy, anti-inflammatory spices. That means that it should help sustain your energy levels while giving you a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and more.

Cooking carrots releases more beta-carotene and other carotenoids that help to keep your cells and tissue healthy and protect them from damage. Potentially your skin and other tissues may be harmed by the sun, by pollution and by aspects of your diet, especially if you eat a lot of processed foods, non-organic foods and sugars. Phytonutrients such as carotenoids may make a real difference to how your body protects itself and recovers.

Garlic also has highly protective qualities throughout your body, and is often cited for helping to keep your blood vessels – and so cardiovascular system – in tip top condition. The key substance here is allicin. The reason I advise you to chop the garlic at the start of the recipe, but add it towards the end, is that this will give the allicin enough time to be activated by exposure to the air.

Chickpeas are an excellent source of folate, also great for cardiovascular health, and crucial in pregnancy. They are also mineral rich, particularly in manganese, which is needed for bone health, certain detoxification enzymes, tissue health and much more.

I’ve also made sure my favourite anti-inflammatory trio are there: turmeric, plus black pepper and coconut oil to help you absorb the golden goodness in turmeric.

The whole cumin seeds combine with the chickpeas and carrots to give an earthy sweetness to help nourish your digestive energy and keep you feeling grounded and gently supported.

And it tastes so good!

You can find more of Kirsten's awesome recipes here.