Rocket and Roses Spicy Parsnip, Carrot & Chickpea Soup

Kitchen Play List:  Mozart Adagios Play List

Black Mustard Seeds..just lovely...

NB: I am still off kitchen duties..sorry. And I have to confess going a little stir crazy! *sighs* Anyway..I created this soup a few weeks ago when I was making the first attempts at Salicylate free cooking and I needed to create something with spices..needed to...NEEDED TO! lol I was holding off posting it until I had made it again so I could photograph the lovely soup to go with it but as with the other photoless posts of recents weeks I shall update with photos when I can. Thank you for staying with me...Your support is greatly appreciated. ~R~

Maybe it's an instinctive response to all Salicylate Free cooking I've been creating lately...but today I needed a thick, intensely spiced and aromatic soup. As I pulled ingredients from cupboards, pots and the fridge I could almost feel myself purring like a cat. I chopped, rinsed and drained and measured out spices and stock and stirred with one heck of a smile on my face. I didn't even need to taste it...I felt elation flowing through every cell of my body...happiness and joy humming in every bone...and my taste buds were acting like a blood starved vampire. lol. 

I am 100% supportive of My Love and the new dual menu I am having to implement at the moment but cooking the Saliyclate meals are hard work..not physically...but emotionally. I always knew I enjoyed cooking and it made me happy. But I didn't realise how much I would miss the colour, aroma and taste of regular vegan food. No wonder My Love was so ill because almost everything we ate daily was choc full of the stuff. And I find it hard to make a warming spice filled dish for myself and then serve My Love the Salicylate meal..knowing that My Love would be devouring the spice filled dish in days gone by. Still it could be worse....I have to remember that. Bigger picture and all that...

This soup is just lovely. Everything I needed it to be and more and easy to make too which is always a plus, no? lol 

Rocket and Roses Spicy Parsnip, Carrot and Chickpea Soup Serves 4
(Original recipe from the Rocket and Roses Vegan Kitchen)

1 tsp olive oil or water to steam saute
1 large onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
5 parsnips, peeled and sliced
2 14oz tins of chickpeas, rinsed and drained separately
3/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp black mustard seeds
6 cups of veggie stock

Heat the oil in a soup pan and cook the onions, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes until they are tender. Then add the garlic, carrot and parsnips and stir well to coat and then add the first half of the chickpeas to the pan. Then add the spices and stir well to prevent the veggies catching on the bottom of the pan. Stir well to coat the veggies and chickpeas with the spices and when the spices begin to warm and become fragrant slowly add the veggie stock. Stir to combine. 

Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Test the veggies at this point and when they are tender blend the soup with a hand blender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and then add the second half of the chickpeas and the remaining mustard seeds. Heat through to warm the chickpeas and then serve.

Enjoy! I know I did...lol 
~R~