Roasted Eggplant Chickpea Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 yellow sweet onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup diced tomato
• 1/4-1/2 cup low fat or 1/4-1/2 cup skim milk

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 400 degrees f.
• 2 coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
• 3 place eggplant, garlic cloves, chickpeas, tomatoes and onion into a large bowl. coat with olive oil, cumin, nutmeg and salt. mix thoroughly so that the vegetables are covered.
• 4 spread the coated vegetables onto the baking sheet and place in oven. roast for thirty minutes, mixing every 10 minutes to prevent sticking and burning.
• 5 remove vegetables and place in pot, preferably a heavy, cast iron pot.
• 6 add vegetable stock, tahini, and lemon juice. simmer on low-medium for 20 minutes. stir occassionaly.
• 7 if using an immersion hand blender, add 1/4 cup of milk and blend. add milk 1 tbsp at a time, until the soup reaches the desired consistency. if using a regular blender, place the vegetables in the blender, doing it in batches if necessary. add 1/4 cup of milk, slowly adding milk 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency is reached. remember to cover the hole on the blender with a towel and not the cap in order to let steam escape and prevent the soup from exploding.
• 8 serve hot with freshly grated aged cheddar cheese or goat cheese and fresh french bread.