Moroccan Cuisine....Take 1

The part of me that loves international food is starting to revive again. In this post, I eluded some to my love of Indian food...I also think that I could probably live on Mediterranean and (some) Thai food :)



Well, I recently discovered this awesome blog that features purely authentic Moroccan food! She even has a section for specifically gluten free recipes. Having never consciously branched into Moroccan cuisine before, I was intrigued by this recipe for Red Bell Pepper soup. If you've tried my recipe for butternut squash soup, I can tell you that this soup is similar, in that it's about the same texture. The jar of roasted bell peppers gives this soup a unique flavor; I also like the extra protein added by the garbanzo beans!

Here, I halved the original recipe, used my leftover roasted garlic, as well as used my own homemade veggie broth. I didn't have smoked paprika, and also happened to not have any regular; but I did learn that if you are out of paprika, too, you can substitute cumin. I do love cumin! :)

Moroccan Red Bell Pepper Soup
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1 T. olive oil
2 1/2 c.  homemade veggie broth
1 small sweet potato, peeled and quartered
2 cloves roasted garlic
1 bay leaf
1/8 t. paprika or cumin
sea salt and ground pepper
1/2 of a (12 oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers
2 oz. soft goat cheese

Place all of the ingredients--EXCEPT the roasted peppers and goat cheese--in a pot over medium heat. Cover with lid and cook 20-30 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Add the roasted red bell peppers and goat cheese. Blend the soup using an immersion blender.
Serve warm, with extra goat cheese on top.