Cravings are weird. There are days where I am craving dessert like nobody’s business, and then other days when I wake up with veggies on the brain. For the past few days I can’t seem to get enough of the latter, which I can only chalk up as a result of my dessert intake over the weekend. Between the coconut ice cream, Tahitian vanilla macaroon & pain perdu (fancy term for French toast) with caramelized bananas, it’s safe to say I enjoyed my fair share. While they were all certainly delicious, my taste buds are definitely begging for some green action. Lately I’ve been embracing veggies in the form of:
Salads
Raw
Roasted
I guess it’s time we give credit to our bodies where due. They’re pretty smart when it comes to telling us what foods they need to run optimally. Even though it is currently 35˚C in Mumbai, I’ve been slurping down soup like we’re in November, particularly this bowl of Chunky Vegetable & Chickpea Soup.
Apparently hot drinks & soups actually cool our bodies down. According to this article, they have an effect on your systematic cooling mechanisms, which exceeds its actual effect in terms of heating your body. I’m not sure how true that is, but I do know one thing: my soup intake and air conditioning usage are most definitely positively correlated:
Chunky Vegetable & Chickpea Soup– Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 400g can of crushed tomatoes
- 250 ml vegetable broth
- 8-10 green beans, trimmed & cut into ½ -1 inch pieces
- 2 medium carrots cut into ½ -1 inch pieces
- 1 medium zucchini, quartered & cut into ½ -1 inch pieces
- 1 medium stalk celery, cut into ½ -1 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano – dried is fine too
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil- dried is fine too
- ½ cup chickpeas
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
- In a large stock pot over medium heat, heat olive oil & sauté garlic till pink, about 2-3 minutes. Add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until it has softened.
- Pour in canned tomatoes with juices, broth & bring to a boil.
- Add vegetables & fresh herbs. Cover & simmer for 20-25 minutes
- Prior to serving, stir in chickpeas. Season with salt & black pepper.
What’s your favorite way to eat your veggies?
You are indeed right our bodies are ” pretty smart when it comes to telling us what foods they need to run optimally”… I need to get better at listening to mine and not using chocolate to satisfy ALL those other food needs! 🙂
My mom is big on “cooling” and “warming” foods – I am fascinated by how some hot foods can really be cooling. Speaking of which – I love soups with boatloads of chunky vegetables like this one – I could be eating this in the middle of summer too! Gorgeous coloring to it too!
Thanks Shashi! I might even eat this cold next time….for a gazpacho-esque kinda meal 😉
We really do need to focus more on listening to our bodies and what they are telling us! I used to find it so bizarre how I’d crave smoothies and cold oats in winter, yet summer screams hot oats…strange!
Nothing screams comfort more than a bowl of hot soup- the chunkier the better. I despise soup which is glorified water lol!
I feel you on the watery soups…gross! Same goes for watery oats!!
I know the science behind it, but I just can’t bring myself to eat anything hot during the summer! When I’m in really warm places I tend to lose weight quickly as I just can’t eat anything other than salads and ice cream. Thankfully it’s freezing and raining in London today so your soup wouldn’t be out of place 🙂
Oh nooo don’t tell me that! I am coming in 2 weeks and am envisioning lots of sun and blue skies!
It’s up and down lately, but mostly sunny – fingers crossed it stays that way! How long are you in town for? We must catch up!
Oh absolutely- I am there for 6 weeks! Will get in touch when I reach :)!
i have been trying to eat more salad and smoothies for my veggie intake..unless kale and mushroom on a pizza counts 😛
Don’t forget the tomatoes used in the sauce 😉
mmm…soup. It’s been forever since I had any! But it’s 20 (feels like 25) out today so…not a good day for soup.
Google must be off – I just tried converted that to Celsius and it came to -6! If it is accurate, wow…you must be freezing!!
Canada is in Celsius! So that’s like 77 Fahrenheit.
Ah thankfully you were talking in celsius terms- those kind of cold temperatures is absurd for May !
That soup looks delicious! I can’t usually handle soup on a hot day unless I’m sick. But it is getting cold here! So great timing for me! 🙂
Hope you enjoy it, Jess 😀
For whichever reason I’ve been the odd one still insisting on a hot lunch in summer. Actually mostly soups because they’re quick and don’t require standing in a warm kitchen forever. Also, I’d heard abiut Beduins drinking hot peppermint tea to stay cool in the heat due to sweat’s cooling powers. But the article was interesting to read nonetheless so thanks for sharing.
And about that recipe? It contains chickpeas so you basically won me over right away.
Soup leftovers might be the best kind out there…aside from being convenient, they tend to taste better after a few days too!
I think I’ve been overdoing it on the sweet things lately too because I’ve only been wanting the veggies today. Thank goodness my body is smarter than I am 😆 And can you believe that the temperatures are still frigid enough to warrant eating a warming soup? When is spring going to get here!? And why I am going through chickpeas like nobody’s business?! Oh… because I love them 😉
Don’t forget..we’re doing a weather trade! I need some cold in my life (famous last words)!!
I love mixing steamed veggies together with cooked noodles or soup to make a hybrid salad of sorts! I’ve had veggies on the brain too lately 😛
You can never go wrong with noodle soup ;)!
Please pass me that everything but the kitchen sink salad. I can pair it with a bowl of this delicious soup. There is so much veggie goodness in this post. It makes me happy.
Haha 3 cheers for fiber <3
OH HELL YES! ALL of these look amazing, I am so coming over for dinner. You know what’s up. My meat free tummy is swooning.
Your seat is waiting for you 🙂
Hi Khushboo, how many calories and how man grams of protein would the chick pea soup have? Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Sonu! I haven’t calculated the nutritional values for this recipe. If you would like to calculate the calories & protein content yourself, you can do so at SparkRecipes.com 🙂