Chickpea Vegetable Soup

This was Chickpea Vegetable Soup - a vegetarian meal.

Inspired by a recipe from Vegetarian Times' Chickpea Pot Pie, I made this delicious soup. Ingredients were carrots, onion, celery, green beans, and chickpeas. Skipping a pie rid, I topped the soup with toasted my classic white bread and freshly grated Parmigano-Reggiano. 

Chickpeas were challenging J. Athough he likes hummus, he doesn't like chickpea, which doesn't make sense to me, so I made this chickpea soup for him anyway. He ate and enjoyed the soup. Good job!

Chickpea Vegetable Soup
MAKES 4 cups

1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery, finely chopped
1 can chickpea, drained and rinsed4 cup vegetable stock
1 tbs dried sage
2 bay leaves
2 tbs parsley, finely chopped
2 tbs corn starch
1 tbs whole wheat flour
2 tsp heavy cream 
black pepper and salt to taste 
2 slice white bread, cubed, toasted
Parmigano-Reggiano cheese

1. Heat oil in a pan, cook onion over medium heat for 3 min until slightly soften, add carrot and celery, cook for 3 min, add chickpea and vegetable stock, sage, bay leaves, bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 min or until vegetables become tender.
2. In a small bowl, whisk corn starch and whole wheat flour with 3 tbs water. Pour the corn starch mixture into the soup pan off the heat. Bring the soup pan back to simmer and stir to dissolve the corn starch mixture. Stir in heavy cream and parsley.
3. Adjust taste with pepper and salt, ladle soup into a cup, top with bread cubes and cheese.