Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup with Ras El Hanout Chickpeas & Sautéed Kale | v + gf

What would autumn be without sweet potatoes? Or summer or spring or winter for that matter... Sweet potatoes are easily on my top 5 favorite veggies list, and I eat it at least once or twice a week. Lately I've discovered how amazing they are with a lil' ras el hanout spice mix sprinkled on top! Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice blend that essentially means "the finest spices of the store" or "the store's finest blend". It's got coriander, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, allspice and pepper in it and it's slightly spicy but mostly just comfortably warm and rich.I know that cosy autumn/winter recipes like this one is probably a little early for some of you southerners, but as I'm writing this from a kitchen in the very north of Sweden (at the same latitude as Iceland and Greenland fyi), the rain clouds lay low over the pine forests, fog gathering in between the hills at dusk. Before coming here I had to bring out the winter closet - dr martens, coat & woolen scarf. In Stockholm though, late summer bliss still lingers. When looking at a map I noticed that it would be closer for me to fly to Berlin or Warsaw than to fly here to Piteå. It made me realize what a long country Sweden is.Right now it's morning and the light is milky white and indifferent. I've slept weird for several days, dreamt of complex adventures with people from the past. I really, really need a coffee, but I don't know how to operate the fancy chemex brewer here, so I have to patiently wait for this other person to wake up and show me...This recipe was actually created after the topping. Pairing chickpeas with ras el hanout & a dash of tamari soy and fry them it lots of coconut oil was a lucky experiment, and the best way I could think of to do this delectable topping justice was to pair it with a mild and creamy soup. Once placed on top of the steaming soup, the coconut oil rise to the surface and wraps the whole thing in a comforting, slightly tropical blanket.Lemon juice & a dash of apple cider vinegar balances the sweetness & richness of this soup, and freshly grated ginger provides a refreshing heat & anti-inflammatory boost (something we could definitely use over here as K is battling early signs of a really nasty mancold 😜).I also added sautéed kale for color and texture! Tuscan kale would be *awesome* in this recipe, but I had regular kale at hand so I went with that. I'm not joking when I say that I've eaten this soup almost every day for the past two weeks, without getting sick of it. Serve it with a thick slice of sourdough bread smeared with cream cheese and you're good!Recipe after the jump!This recipe is vegan and gluten-free. 

Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup with Ras El Hanout Chickpeas & Sautéed Kale

serves 66 large carrots2 large sweet potatoes1 brown onion4 cloves garlic2 quarts (2 liters) water2 cubes (about 22 g) dried vegetable bouilloncanola oil or other neutral oila good pinch of salt400 ml full fat coconut milk (save some for serving)1 lemon, juice1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar1-2 tsp cumin1 inch fresh ginger, grated1/2 tsp chili flakes1 tsp turmeric (can be omitted)salt & pepper4 large kale leavescanola oil or other neutral oilsalt & pepperras el hanout chickpeas400 g chickpeas, pre-cooked3-4 tbsp coconut oil1 1/2 tsp ras el hanout spice mix1 tsp agave syrup1 tsp white balsamic vinegar1 tbsp tamari soypepperto serveseeds of choicecoconut milk

Directions

Peel and chop carrots and sweet potato. Chop onion and mince garlic. In a large sauce pan, heat up a generous glug of canola oil and gently fry onion and garlic until translucent. Add carrots, sweet potato, chili flakes and a good pinch of salt and cook for a minute more. Add water and vegetable bouillon and bring to boiling. Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the carrots and sweet potato pieces are completely soft. Then add the grated ginger.Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to mix until completely smooth.Put the pot back on the stove, lower heat, and add the rest of the ingredients for the soup. Let simmer for about 10 minutes more while stirring. Meanwhile, season to taste with salt & pepper, vinegar and spices.When making a rich soup, remember that flavors develop over time. If you add more salt for example, it will take a couple of minutes for it to dissolve and for you to taste the difference. So let it take time and add the salt & spices early.While the soup is simmering on low heat, rinse chickpeas and kale.Heat up a generous amount of coconut oil in a skillet. Add chickpeas and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Then add the ras el hanout spice mix, pepper, agave syrup, balsamic vinegar and tamari. Cook on medium low heat for 2-3 minutes more, careful not to burn the tamari. Set aside.In another skillet, heat up a glug of canola oil and quickly sauté rough pieces of kale along with salt & pepper, until gently browned. Set aside.Serve each bowl of soup topped with ras el hanout chickpeas, sautéed kale, drizzle of coconut milk & sprinkle of seeds. Perhaps with a piece of sourdough bread on the side <3Love,Agnes

Looking for more soup inspiration? Check out these recipes from the archive!

Creamy Celeriac & Kale Soup with Buttery Mushrooms & Sugar Snap Peas | gfTomato Soup with Smokey Chickpeas & Herbs | v + gfCarrot Soup with Lime & Ginger | v + gfRosemary Roasted Carrot Soup with Tamari Nuts & Seeds | v + gfRoasted Parsnip & Butter Bean Soup with Walnut Pesto & Caramelized Cabbage | v + gfPs. If you like this post it would mean a lot to me if you wanted to leave a comment or hit the hearth button. That way I know what content you love and wanna see more of :-)All photographs, recipes and content are Cashew Kitchen originals, unless otherwise indicated. Feel free to go wild on pinning, but remember all content is copyright protected. Always link back here and credit Cashew Kitchen when sharing. Thanks!