Fall is slowly descending on the Okanagan Valley…who does love fall? The coolness of the mornings but still warm enough to get the littles out for hikes etc. The leaves turning…sweaters…and harvest season! So one of my main reasons for love of fall is the fruit stands here carry so many different kinds of beautiful produce! I do what I can with what I am given but I seriously love to support my local farmers and eat so much more healthier by eating locally.
Having said that, this past week there have been a plethora of squashes and root veggies as well as apples everywhere I have been. This warm and comforting soup is a wonderful mix of warm comfort food that is also extremely healthy and filling! Even my kids put aside their weird food quarks to dig into this soup.
My son said “yes mom, you can make this again!” and my autistic brother who isnt real big on veggies (although he is getting better!) ate a huge bowl of this warm comforting soup. So give this a try!
Chickpea and Greens Rustic Soup
2 Cups Squash (can use butternut or acorn…I used pattypan but thats not a common squash)
2 Cups of chopped carrots
2 cups of chopped celery
2 cups of chopped potatoes
1 Can of chickpeas rinsed and drained
2 cups of chopped mixed kale, spinach and collard greens
1 Onion
3 cloves of garlic diced finely
1/2 cup fresh parsley
5 Cups of Veggie Broth
2 Bay Leaves
1 TBSP dried powdered thyme
1 TSP of rosemary
2 TSP dried Majoram
1 TSP savory
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a large crockpot, add onion, garlic, potatoes, celery, carrots and squash together with the broth and all the spices. Cook on low heat for 5-6 hours or on medium heat for 3-4 until all the veggies are soft and cooked through. Roughly half an hour before you are eating, stir in the parsley then remove roughly 1/3 of the mixture and place in the blender. Blend with the lid slightly open (Or on the vitamix with the plastic middle piece removed) as the mixture is very hot and will explode if you don’t relive some of the pressure. Blend till smooth. Add the blended part to the rest of the soup with the greens. Cook for the last half and hour and serve! I highly recommend my amazing vegan biscuits to go beside!! You can find that recipe here: https://rusticveganmama.ca/2018/04/17/the-best-easy-vegan-biscuits/
