Vegetable Soup with Chickpeas

Serves 4

1 large white onion

5 large sticks of celery

4 large carrots

2 medium potato

2 chicken stock cubes

1 parmesan rind (optional)

1 bay leaf

1 jar of chickpeas

Grated parmesan and olive oil

Peel and roughly chop the onion. Wash the celery, carrots and potato and chop into chunks. Put everything in a large pan and cover with enough boiling water to just cover the veg. Add the stock cubes and bay leaf (and the parmesan rind if using). Season with pepper, no salt at this stage and cook until the veg is soft. 

Remove the bay leaf and parmesan rind.

Using a stick blender, blend until smooth and if too thick add some more water. 

Add the jar of chickpeas and allow to warm though. 

Serve in pasta bowls and grate over fresh parmesan and drizzle with a little good quality olive oil.

Harissa Roast Vegetable & Feta on Chickpea & Spinach

Serves 3

1 large sweet potato

4 medium turnips

1 red onion

1 desert spoon harissa pasta

1 tbs olive oil

1 jar chickpeas

1 chicken or veg stock cube

3 large hand fulls of spinach, washed and shredded washed thoroughly

1 tbs each chopped coriander and mint

Seeds from half a pomegranate 

150g feta cheese

1 small fat free yoghurt

1.5dsp lemon juice

1dsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 210ºC fan

Peel the veg. Cut the onions into wedges (in half and into 6) and the sweet potato and turnip into chunks. Put into a large bowl and mix with the harissa and olive oil. Spread out onto a flat baking tray and cook for 20 mins, remove the onion and retain and flip the veg and cook for another 10 mins.

Mix the stock cube with about 200ml of boiling water. Put the chickpeas in a pan and add the stock and warm through for a few mins on a medium heat. Once warm, mash approx 1/3 of the chickpeas to absorb the water and thicken the mix and stir in the spinach and the retained roasted red onions.

To make the dressing, mix the yoghurt with lemon juice to taste and season. Add the olive oil and stir to combine.

Plate up with the chickpea and spinach mix on the base and drizzle over some dressing. Add the roasted veg and more dressing and finish with crumbling on the feta, and sprinkling over the herbs and pomegranate seeds. 

A few seeds or chopped nut are nice sprinkled on top