Is there anything better than a bowl of homemade vegetable chickpea soup to warm your spirit on a winter’s day?

Why yes. There are a few things. But on some days, a bowl of soup is the absolute best thing. As was the case yesterday when I enjoyed both making and eating this delicious vegetable and chickpea soup! I hope that you and your family will enjoy it as much as mine did!

TIRED AND SLUGGISH

The backstory: my body felt tired and sluggish over the weekend. It craved naps and lounging on the couch. I know I’m not the only one, am I?

As I rested, I thought about food. As one does.

And about what my body was asking for as we experienced the last full-moon of 2021, approached the Winter Solstice, my 37th birthday on the 29th, and the end of a year.

Before we know it, 2022 will be here.

WHAT IF WE MADE 2022 A YEAR OF GOOD EATING?

As I wrote about the books that inspired me in 2021, I was reminded of Nigel Slater’s A Year Of Good Eating while searching for images.

I had perused Slater’s book while staying with my mom’s cousin, Marilyn and her husband, John, on the English Countryside in 2017. While John brought breakfast in bed to his beloved, I sat at their breakfast nook, sipping a cup of English tea he had prepared for me. Slater’s book caught my eye.  Immediately capturing my attention with the introduction and leaving an impression on my foodie heart.

Years later, I still think of the few pages I read. Slater’s love of food and storytelling has inspired the way I want to share recipes with you and step into 2022 with the intention of making it a year of good eating.

But before we do, shall we take a moment to enjoy a few memories from the English Countryside?

WHAT IF WE SLOWED DOWN, ATE LESS, AND ENJOYED WHAT WE PREPARED MORE?

Back to reality while relaxing on the couch on Saturday, thinking of what I wanted to prepare for my family the next day, I fell upon Sadghuru’s Tips For Eating Healthy—How, When, and What to Eat. In this comprehensive article I was reminded of important truths and introduced to new perspectives. It awakened the desire to eat less, more slowly, and with intention.

CAN A VEGETABLE CHICKPEA SOUP FEEL AS GOOD AS MEDITATION?

Yes. Yes it can. And since I haven’t made my meditation practice a top priority lately, this soup is meant to be created and savoured as one.

Flashbacks to sitting on the metal stools by the large windows at the Vipassana Meditation Centre in Montebello came over me. I missed eating in silence, how present I was, how good it felt to sit in meditation (some of the time). I craved the vegetarian meals. Eating fruit or sipping tea at 5pm.

The vegetables in the fridge were calling my name. The homemade chicken broth was knocking on my soul.

“Tomorrow, I’ll make soup.” I declared inwardly.

Take your time. Prep your veggies. Soak your chickpeas.

Sundays are such a lovely day to cook.  But I didn’t make the vegetable chickpea soup I had envisioned on Sunday. I lounged and moved slowly instead. Initiating the soup prep by cutting veggies as I prepared a tasty veggie and shrimp stir-fry for my family on Sunday night.

Soaking chickpeas and black beans before retiring at night. And waking up to the light of the moon early on Monday morning to throw them on the stove as I prepared my stepson’s last lunch of the year.

I was looking forward to cutting the remaining veggies into small cubes and feeling the house warm up as they would simmer into midday.

Variations & Alternatives

• Use chicken or vegetable broth, as you prefer!
• Use white potatoes or a mix or white and sweet for a heartier soup.
• Green peas are a great trade off for asparagus or zucchini.
• Substitute the chickpeas for black beans or mung beans or rice (all cooked or if not cooked, adjust timing and liquid accordingly!)
• Add fresh herbs. I was saving my coriander for dinner but would have thrown some in there as well as parsley or thyme but we didn’t have any on hand.
• Be careful of the spice level if serving to kiddos! You can make it as spicy as you like after the fact by sprinkling your bowl with chili flakes.
• Make it a hearty meal by serving on a bed of basmati rice with bread!

The secret to the perfect vegetable soup

First, you must put your whole self into it. From the beginning. What makes any soup have that “je ne sais quoi” feeling, and anything for that matter, is the energy that you bring.

Now sometimes the act of preparing soup will be what brings you into alignment. Other times, the act of being aligned is what makes the soup. Depends on the day.

Choose ingredients with love.

Cut the veggies small. And don’t rush.

Play with what you have on hand. Sure I offer an ingredient list below, but the best soup will be the one that represents that veggies in your home. Don’t skip on making this soup if you’re missing asparagus. Replace them with something else, omit them, or add more of another.

Trust your intuition. It will know what to add next.

Use homemade broth. I used homemade gut healing chicken broth from The Myer’s Way.

Enjoy this vegetable chickpea soup as soon as possible. You can reheat this soup, but it won’t be as good as when its right off the stove piping hot and served in the environment that smells of its broth and spices.

Chew slowly. 24x according to Sadghuru’s article. Feel the warming feeling.

Add your own touch. It might be a little more of this, a little less of that, or that little secret ingredient that makes all of your recipes have that something special.

Bon appétit!

With love & light,

Mélissa

Written December 21st, 2021

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• Nigel Slater’s A Year Of Good Eating