Coconut Chickpea Soup

This Coconut Bean Soup offers a lightly seasoned and textured bite, perfectly balanced with a tinge of sweetness.  Tonight's take on a Southeast Asian dish was created by Ashley Lodato, served with a moist and tangy cabbage side salad.

Ingredients:
1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
Vegetable stock or broth
2 bay leaves
2 large whole garlic cloves
1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp vegetble oil
1.5 cups chopped onions
1/2 lb chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp salt (optional, to taste)
1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 cup brown/whole grain rice

toasted coconut
lime wedges
fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

• Place chickpeas into a large soup pot, add stock/broth until it reaches 1 inch able the level of the chickpeas.
• Add bay leaves, garlic, oil and simmer until chickpeas are tender, approximately 1 hour.
• Periodically replenish stock/broth, keeping the chickpeas covered with an inch of liquid.
• Once chickpeas are tender, remove bay leaves and garlic.
• In a separate pot, cook rice and set aside.
• Sautee onions, chicken, minced garlic, and spices in oil on low heat until onions are translucent and chicken no longer pink.
• Add peppers, carrots, tomatoes, salt and sugar and simmer for 5-10 mins until peppers are tender.
• When the chickpeas are tender, stir in the vegetable-spice mixture and more stock if too thick.
• Heat on low for 10-15 mins to blend flavors.
• Serve the soup on top of rice, garnished with toasted coconut, fresh lime juice and cilantro.

To add a little more sweetness to the soup, add coconut milk to the vegetable-spice mixture instead of additional stock (before last 10-15 minutes).