Vegetarian Soup with spinach, chickpeas, and swiss chard.

A healthy, warming, delicious plant based soup.

starter for 6-8

meal for 4

INGREDIENTS

4 cups vegetable stock

2 carrots peeled, diced

2 parsnips peeled, diced

1 onion chopped

1 tsp GINGER

3 tsp BERBERE

2 tsp Hibiscus Sugar

4 cups washed, chopped spinach

2 cups washed, chopped swiss chard 

2 cups cooked chickpeas ( canned or fresh)

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Mix together the carrots, parsnips, 1 cup of chickpeas  with 2 tsp of olive oil, 1 tsp rose sugar, and 1.5 tsp of berbere. Place everything on a baking sheet and roast at 325º for 25 minutes - stirring occasionally.

Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot and sautee the onion and ginger with the remaining rose sugar for 10  minutes. Then add the rest of the berbere and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the stock, spinach, swiss chard, remaining chickpeas and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes ( until the leaves have wilted). 

Blitz everything together and add salt & pepper to taste. Top the soup with the roasted vegetable 'croutons' and serve!

Serve with biscuits or bread.