Our Veggie Kitchen

I started clearing out my winter garden beds this weekend. All I had left was a few broccoli florets, some greens and tons of broccoli. My goal yesterday, then, was to utilize six bunches of parsley in an afternoon's worth of cooking.

First, I made a double batch of my Gramma Louise's Spaghetti Sauce. This is my all time favorite sauce. Since my original post, I've made a couple changes. It was originally a meat sauce, so I used ground seitan. It really doesn't need it. You can get a meaty texture just by pulsing the sauce in batches in a blender. I make a double batch and divide it into three portions, about five cups each.

While the pasta sauce was simmering, I made a big batch of Greek Pesto.   It's an intense pesto with lots of lemon & miso and parsley, oregano and basil.  I've made quite a few pesto variations.  Overall, I've only been marginally happy.  With this pesto, I cut way back on the nuts and it made a big texture difference.  I'll be using this recipe as a starting point in updating my other pesto recipes this summer.

Finally, I made Chickpea and Parsley soup.  I knew the flavor was good, but I was afraid of a baby puke texture and color.  By adding a carrot and by thoroughly blending all but one can of beans and half the parsley, I ended up with a terrific texture and a beautiful golden hued soup.



Chickpea Parsley Soup
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 medium carrots, finely grated
1 bunch parsley, divided
3 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained (about 5 cups cooked beans)
3 cups water
1/2 lemon, zested
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbs miso
1/4 tsp salt

Heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute until they soften. Turn heat to low and add the garlic. Cook, stirring often until the onions begin to brown, around 10-15 minutes. Cooking the onion, red pepper flakes and garlic slow like this will release a mild, roasted flavor from the garlic and caramelize the onion.

Add 2 cans of chickpeas, carrots, and half the parsley. Cook until the parsley is wilted and the carrot shreds are soft. Add the water, lemon juice & zest, and miso. Blend thoroughly in batches, if necessary.

Finely chop the remaining parsley. When the soup is blended, add the chickpeas and parsley to the last batch and pulse to roughly chop the last can of chickpeas. Return the soup to the stove, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Serve hot.

Alternately, you can add the last can of chickpeas and remaining parsley to the blended soup in the pan and roughly mash with a potato masher.

4 Servings: 422 cal (12g fat, 62g carbs, 19g protein)