Her Modern Kitchen

Eating & Living in Austin, Texas

Soup

Spiced Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Mint Lemon Yogurt & Crispy Pita Wedges

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This one-pot Spiced Moroccan Chickpea Stew makes a great vegetarian meal paired with a cool mint lemon yogurt and crispy pita wedges for dipping.

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Stew Dinner

I wasn’t planning on posting this recipe but I shared a snap of this meal on my Insta-Stories and had a lot of requests via direct messages for the recipe. I also I threw up a poll to see if I should post about it on the blog and it was obvious I needed to get this recipe up, so here it is!

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Stew Insta-Story

The recipe for Spiced Moroccan Chickpea Stew actually came about by combining two recipes I found on the internet.  They both looked so delicious and I couldn’t decide which one to make so I combined some the flavors. While the stew does contain some super spices like turmeric and cinnamon, the standout flavor is really the Ras el Hanout.

Ras el Hanout is a traditional Moroccan spice but not something you can find on the regular here on the States unless you special order it.  However, Ras el Hanout is easy to make at home (it’s like the pumpkin pie spice of the East) by combining spices you likely already have in your cupboard.

Looking for other ras el hanout recipes? Try my Baked Moroccan Chicken Thighs

After making the stew, I felt like it needed a little something to balance out the spicy flavors which is when I spotted the bunch of fresh mint on my windowsill and the mint lemon yogurt came into play. If you’re a fan of tzatziki, then you’ll love this fresh mint lemon yogurt!

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Stew Bowl

Because I love multiple textures when I eat, I added toasted pita wedges for crunch.  The pita also worked great for dipping and scooping up the Spiced Moroccan Chickpea Stew. Overall, the stew was a great, cozy winter meal that had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.

What’s your favorite winter meal?

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Stew

Spiced Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Mint Lemon Yogurt & Pita
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 small white onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste or 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon ras el hanout
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ~30-ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed (2, 14.5-ounce cans)
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained of water
  • 1 14.5can coconut milk
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups kale stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 2 large whole wheat pitas, cut into wedges

  • For the Mint Lemon Yogurt
  • 1 cup mint leaves, finely minced
  • 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
  • 6 ounces plain Greek yogurt
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
  2. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until onion has softened and starts to brown a little around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Add turmeric, ras el hangout, cinnamon, red-pepper flakes and chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas cook a bit in the spices, 5 to 8 minutes.
  4. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush half of the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides which will help the stew thicken.
  5. Add coconut milk, tomatoes and chicken stock to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Then reduce to a simmer
  6. Cook on a simmer, stirring occasionally until the stew has thickened -- 30 to 35 minutes.
  7. Add the kale and stir. Cook a few minutes so they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, Taste the stew and adjust the salt and pepper seasoning to your own liking.
  8. While the stew is cooking for 30-35 minutes, make the mint-lemon yogurt. In a small bowl combine the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, mint leaves, garlic salt, and white pepper. Thin the yogurt with 2-3 tablespoons cold water or until desired consistency is reached.
  9. To toast the pita, place the wedges onto a large sheet tray in a single layer and bake them in the oven at 350*F for 5-8 minutes, turning half-way through until lightly browned and crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
  10. To serve, add the stew to a bowl, dollop the lemon mint yogurt on top and serve with pita wedges on the side.

 

 

Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup with Primizie Flatbread Crisps

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Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup and Primizie Flatbread Crisps are a perfect pairing! The crisps are non-GMO, made with real ingredients, and local to Austin while adding a nice crunch to the smooth, creamy carrot soup.

Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup with Primizie Chips 2

I’ve been on this big kick lately to learn everything I can about GMOs and the impact they have on my health and our environment. As a result, I’ve really started to pay attention to what’s in the food I’m eating and am constantly looking for food that’s non-GMO with an ingredient list that’s simple, familiar, and made with real food.

Strangely enough, right about this time Primizie reached out to me asking if I’d like to check out their line of flatbread crisps. Of course I said yes, except I didn’t really need to try them, I was already quite familiar with Primizie (pronounced Pri’ mid tsje) as they’re locally made in Austin, sold at HEB where I regularly shop, and often end up in my cart!

Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup with Primizie Chips

The fact I love most about Primizie, is that their products, which come in a seven different flavors, are non-GMO and proudly display the non-GMO Project Verified logo on the packaging. Not only are they non-GMO verified but when you flip the bag of flatbread crisps over, the ingredient list is simple, consisting of ingredients we’re all familiar with.

Take a look at the ingredient list in the Italian Everything crisps:

  • Wheat flour
  • Sunflower oil
  • Seeds blend: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway, fennel, dried garlic, red pepper
  • Salt
  • Spices
  • Yeast

Are you shocked?

They’re all words you can pronounce, they’re all ingredients you know, and best of all, there’s no added sugar. Just plain, simple, real food that results in a deliciously crisp chip that’s perfect for snacking on it’s own, dipping into hummus or a cheese spread, or enjoying in place of croutons on a soup like I did with this Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup!

Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup Close Up

I’m a huge fan of the Primizie’s Ancient Sprouted Grains crisps, they’re truly a personal favorite! They’re so crispy, have a slight nuttiness and I love the combination of grains — sorghum, cassava, amaranth, and teff! The Ancient Sprouted Grains crisps inspired me to create this Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup which is simple, clean, and perfect for the Spring season! The ingredients in my soup, much like Primizie’s ingredients, are 100% real food. The list is short and it’s likely ingredients you already have in your kitchen.

I love this Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup for Spring in Texas when the weather’s warm but not quite gazpacho season. It’s zesty in flavor from lime juice with a hint of spice at the end.  Added bonus, this soup is actually quite versatile and can even be warmed if you’d prefer! I know I enjoyed a warm bowl on a rainy Spring day when my body craved comfort food.

Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup Dipped

I enjoyed my soup by dipping the Primizie Ancient Sprouted Grains crisps into it in place of a spoon and also crushed some of the crisps on top! I loved pairing the Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup and Primizie crisps because the flatbread crisps are so crunchy and hold up well in the liquid. They add great texture to the otherwise smooth soup!

Primizie did provide me samples of their flatbread crisps but all photos and opinions in this post are my own.

Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup Pinterest

5.0 from 4 reviews
Chilled Spicy Carrot Soup
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and diced into ½ inch half-moons
  • ½ medium white onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 6 tablespoons whole milk greek yogurt, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 bag Primizie Ancient Sprouted Grains flatbread crisps
Instructions
  1. Add the olive oil and garlic to a medium size sauce pan over medium-high heat
  2. Once warm, add the white onion and carrots, cook about 5 minutes
  3. Add in the cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt, cook 2 minutes stirring continuously
  4. Pour in 3¼ cups vegetable broth and bring to a boil
  5. Reduce to a simmer and cook 25-30 minutes until carrots are soft
  6. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender, add remaining ¾ cup vegetable broth and blend on high until smooth
  7. Remove from blender and place the pureed soup into a large mixing bowl
  8. Whisk in the greek yogurt until smooth followed by the lime juice
  9. To serve warm, spoon immediately into bowl add a bit of lime zest, a dollop of greek yogurt and plenty of Primizie Ancient Sprouted Grains flatbread crisps on the side
  10. To serve cold, Refrigerate at lest 2 hours or overnight. Once chilled, spoon soup into bowls, add a bit of lime zest, a dollop of greek yogurt and plenty of Primizie Ancient Sprouted Grains flatbread crisps on the side

 

Tuscan Wheat Berry Bean Soup with Basil Pesto and Parmesan Cheese

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Tuscan Wheat Berry Bean Soup is a hearty vegetarian meal that’s fit for Fall, served with a swirl of basil pesto and fresh parmesan cheese, all you need to add is a spoon and some crusty bread for dipping!

Tuscan_Wheat_Berry_Bean_Soup_-5

A few weekends ago, Fall weather officially hit Austin. It was gloomy, rainy and cloudy. The kind of rainy that just mists all day long, threatening to pour at any moment but never following through. Looking outside was just depressing but in the kitchen, I found the gloomy weather to be inspiring!

Set on creating a cozy, warm bowl of soup with limited supplies, I utilized celery and carrots from a leftover vegetable tray and a mason jar of wheat berries (that had been in my pantry way too long) to create this warming bowl of Tuscan Wheat Berry Bean Soup.

Tuscan_Wheat_Berry_Bean_Soup_

If you aren’t familiar with wheat berries, they’re a chewy whole grain that reminds me a bit of a cross between farro and barley. I’m sure you’re actually familiar with a byproduct of wheat berries — whole wheat flour!

But instead of being ground, these berries are left whole. In their whole state, wheat berries are full of nutrients like iron, protein, and fiber! They add a ton of vegetarian bulk to this Tuscan Wheat Berry Bean Soup and help make even a small portion super filling.

Tuscan_Wheat_Berry_Bean_Soup_-4

Also thrown into this Tuscan Wheat Berry Bean Soup are a few bay leaves, a heavy teaspoon of Italian seasoning and 3 cups a navy beans! I love beans in soup. Again, more fiber, added chew and a low calorie, good for your protein!

This soup is also super easy to make. You simply let everything simmer for about an hour, letting the Tuscan aroma fill your home until the wheat berries are cooked through.

Tuscan Wheat Berry Bean Soup Pin

To top off the soup before serving, I added a spoonful of my healthier basil pesto that you can swirl into the broth, more fresh basil, and a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese. It’s a bowl full of cozy that’s destined to transport your from that gloomy rainy day into the Tuscan countryside.

5.0 from 3 reviews
Tuscan Wheat Berry Bean Soup with Pesto & Parmesan Cheese
 
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Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • ¾ cup diced celery
  • ¾ cup carrots, cuts into rounds
  • 2 cups chopped tomatoes
  • 1 cup wheat berries, uncooked
  • 4 cups stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cans navy beans, drained and rinsed
  • salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, optional
  • ½ cup grated parmesan
  • 6 tablespoons healthier basil pesto
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat 1-2 minutes
  2. Once the oil is warm, add the garlic, onions, celery, and carrots
  3. Season with salt and pepper then cook until tender
  4. Pour in the stock plus 2 cups water
  5. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, wheat berries, bay leaves and Italian seasoning
  6. Bring everything to a boil then reduce the heat so the mixture remains at a steady simmer
  7. Cover the pot and let simmer for about 1 hour, until wheat berries are cooked through
  8. Stir in the navy beans and fresh basil, adjusting seasoning as needed with salt and pepper
  9. To serve, spoon soup into bowls, top with healthier basil pesto and parmesan cheese