Spicy Vegetable Soup

Before I go to the grocery store, I have a general idea (mental list) of what I will make that upcoming week but its never written down. So when Wednesday rolls around, I think about the produce drawer and freezer while driving home..or you will find me chopping vegetables and reading recipes on my ipad. I have been doing it since forever but I really need to stop this madness and plan ahead. 

Sunday, I made a big batch of this spicy vegetable soup. One tiny baby step towards meal planning and prepping in advance. The soup is thick, warm, gently spiced with roasted cumin and dried red chili pepper. It’s a very flexible soup so this is a great way to clean your produce drawer. I used two different root vegetables : sweet potatoes and rutabaga but potatoes, turnips, celery roots or any other root vegetables of your choice would be fine too. 

I added chickpeas for protein and fiber while kale has a chockfull of nutrients such as Vitamin A, C, and K. If you are not much of a kale person, baby spinach is a great alternative here. 

It was a nice change on Monday not having to worry about dinner. I simply heated the spicy vegetable soup and enjoyed it alongside leftover galette I made for the book. I am looking forward to start with at least a couple of meals planned or prepped for the week. I will update you soon on how it went. 

Spicy Vegetable Soup
serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 dried chili, crushed
1 onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 rutabaga, peeled and cubed
1-14 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 small bunch of kale, roughly chopped (about 4 oz when ready to use)
salt, pepper to taste

Directions
– In a small sauce pan over medium heat toast cumin seeds until fragrant. Set it aside.
– Heat oil in a large sauce pan. Saute onion, garlic, and ginger until onion softens a little bit. Add toasted cumin seeds and red chili. 
– Add sweet potatoes, rutabaga, chickpeas and broth + water to the pan. Allow it to simmer for 20-25 minutes until the rutabaga and sweet potatoes are soft.
– Add kale leaves towards the end. Continue simmering until kale leaves are slightly wilted.
– Blend everything until it becomes a smooth puree. You may use a potato masher for thicker and slightly chunkier texture soup. 
– Serve it hot. 

Note: 
The soup was great as a leftover but while reheating just add about 1/2 cup of water to thin the consistency. 

So how does meal planning work for you?

I’d love to hear what kind of recipes/meals work better for you when made in advance? Feel free to share a link.