Creamy Carrot-Sumac Soup with Crispy Chickpeas and Shallots

sprung?

Creamy Carrot-Sumac Soup 

with Crispy Chickpeas + Shallots

warm enough to thaw my cold winter heart.

It's snowing as I type this. 

It has been spring for 19 days now and it's snowing. 

Half an hour ago I was wearing my heaviest winter coat. And a hat. And gloves.

Yesterday was 65 degrees. Tomorrow will probably feel like summer. 

Ugh.

Little known fact about me-- I will fall down in a spectacularly cartoonish manner at least once a winter. Taking a header on a patch of ice and pitching ass-backwards into a giant snow drift, or an equivalently embarrassing series of events.

But this year was different. 

Not because I spent the previous 11 months mastering my coordination skills, but because there was just too much damn snow.

Feet upon feet upon feet upon feet of snow. 

The sheer volume of which made falling down next to impossible.

Instead I spent two month rattling around endless ice and snow mazes (that used to be sidewalks) like a human pinball. 

Not necessarily better, but much less bruise-inducing.

Then the first day of "spring" came...

I accidentally wandered onto a continent-sized sheet of ice, slipped-- nearly dislocating both knees in the process, and dumped half a bag of groceries directly into the filthiest, deepest puddle of all time. 

And, just to add insult to literal injury, I tried to brace myself on a nearby snow pile but my arm went straight through to the still-frozen ground.

There I was, laying on the sidewalk with one arm stuck up to the shoulder in a pile of slush, one leg bent behind me, on the verge of tears, and wondering how bad it would be if I just slept there that night.

This is what spring in New England does to you.

It leaves you banged up (both in the head and on the body), pushing the borders of unhinged, and in need of some serious comforting.

It's the the soup-iest of soup weather.

bowl therapy.

crispy bits.

Soup:

1lb carrots (about 5-6), coarsely chopped

2 shallots, sliced into very thin rings

2 1/2c cooked chickpeas

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2Tbsp olive oil

2tsp sea salt

1Tbsp sumac

2Tbsp ground cumin

3Tbsp fresh lemon juice

5-6c water

Toppers:

1c cooked chickpeas

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1Tbsp olive oil

2tsp sumac

2tsp cumin

1Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1-2tsp lemon zest

1/4tsp sea salt

Israeli Couscous Salad with Za'atar-Roasted Radishes and Greens

sprung.
Israeli Couscous Salad with Za'atar-Roasted 
Radishes & Greens

you are my sunshine.

After all the time I've spent lamenting the long dark winter in
multiple (vaguely) melancholy blog posts, spring has finally sprung.
THE RADISHES ARE HERE and the world feels right again.
It may be cold and rainy (yet again...blech) as I type this,
but warmer and sunnier times are ahead.
I can feel it deep inside of my slowly defrosting winter bones.

So, this a defiant salad.
A "screw you cold weather, spring vegetables are here and
I aim to eat the shit out of them" salad.
It is also a "root-to-greens, every damn part of the radish" salad.
Because if we're going to spring forward,
we might as well do it with reckless abandon.

fresh chickpeas and breakfast radishes- dressed and ready for roasting.

Israeli Couscous with Za'atar-Roasted Chickpeas and Carrots

metaphors are delicious.
Israeli Couscous with Za'atar-Roasted Chickpeas and Carrots.

za'atar za'atar, be still my heart.

If you're unfamiliar with za'atar I am envious. Not because of the huge za'atar-less gap in your life up until this moment, but because discovering za'atar for the first time... it's like falling in love and falling HARD. One could even say that za'atar, with all of its mercurial regional, cultural and personal definitions, was very much like love itself, or the nature of it at least. Once could, if one were in the business of waxing poetic on the characteristics of spice blends. 

One could...

I, however, at least in this moment, am more interested in eating than continuing to pontificate about za'atar as a metaphor for love.
What I will say is this: if you know, YOU KNOW.
And if you don't know, YOU"RE WELCOME.

Vegan Chana Dal

Vegan Indian Food:

Homemade Chana Dal

Chana dal (split chickpeas), turmeric, cardamom pods and bay leaf. 

Well-stocked pantry staple: Chana Dal. 

There is no beating around the bush on this one, I L-O-V-E Indian food. Just one problem with this little love affair, I'm a chronic over order-er. Trying to decide on just 1 (or 2) dishes can send me into near hysterics. Shockingly, this is not a wallet friendly way to dine out. Well as we all know, admitting you have a problem is the first step. And, in the world of thrifty vegan home cooking, learning to make it your damn self is the second. After a fair amount of practice I've mastered dosas, have a pretty good handle on chana masala and can throw together a pretty bad ass curry without much effort. On to the Chana Dal, which is suprisingly simple and quick to prepare.


Once your pantry is stocked with the right staples (rices, grains, and of course spices), and you've familiarized yourself with the proper spice combinations, churning out an Indian dish or two really doesn't seem all that scary. While Chana dal look very similar to yellow split peas, they are actually the interior kernels of  skinless black chickpeas, which have been split in two. You should be able to find it in an Indian specialty store, in the bulk section of your local health food store,
 or if all else fails, online. 

This recipe is prepared in the traditional way, dal simmered in water with spices then blended and a tadka or chanuk (fried garnish) added to the finished dish. 

You will need an immersion blender (ideally), a standard blender
or a potato masher for this recipe. 

Turmeric, cardamom pods and bay leaf. 

Vegan Chana Dal Recipe:

1c dried chana dal

4c water

2tbsp olive oil 

2 tsp turmeric

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1tsp ground cloves

1tsp red chili flakes

1tsp salt

3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1tbsp minced cilantro (optional)

Combine dal, turmeric, bay leaf, salt and cardamom in a large saucepan.

Cover with 4c water and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and gently simmer, covered, for 35-40 minutes.

There should be some liquid remaining in the pot once the cooking time is up.

Remove the bay leaf. 

Chana dal, finished cooking, before being blended.  

Using an immersion blender, puree about 1/2- 3/4 of the chana,
leaving the remaining in tact.

This will give you a mostly creamy dish that still has a bit of texture.
If you do not have a blender, use a potato masher to mash about half to 3/4 of the chana, creating a mostly creamy consistency but leaving some whole chana in the mix.

Preparing the tadka:

heat the 2tbsp of oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. 

Add your minced garlic, stir for 1-2 minutes or until garlic begins to brown and sizzle. 

Add in ground cloves and chili flakes and cook for 30 seconds more, stirring frequently. 

Pour the finished tadka over top of the dal, stirring to combine.

Pairs well with brown or white basmati rice.
Garnish of cilantro, optional but nice for a pop of flavor (and color). 

Finished dish over a bed of brown basmati rice.