Bollywood, by special request!

Josie from our community group requested the following recipe and I was excited to share. Here's what makes it so wonderful:

tasty. just so, so good.

cheap. last time I made this for community group I doubled or tripled it and the whole thing, including bread and rice, cost about $9.

great for groups. easy to make, even ahead of time, and only mildly spicy so everyone can enjoy.

It's called "soup" but it's thick enough to serve over rice without sloshing around. Serve with naan, top with a dollop of plain yogurt, and you've got yourself a full meal deal. (And bonus for me, protein-obsessed pregnant lady, rice and beans together make a complete protein!) Without further ado...

Indian Spiced Chickpea and Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup

(thanks again, Rachael Ray)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained

• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2/3 palmful

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

• Salt and pepper

• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes

• 1 cup plain yogurt

• Warm pita, any flavor or variety, toasted

Directions

Heat a medium pot with extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Grind the chickpeas and onion in food processor. Add to pot and cook 5 minutes to sweeten onion. Season the chickpeas with cumin, cardamom, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir in stock, then tomatoes. Simmer soup 5 to 10 minutes to combine flavors. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and warm pita for dipping.

(when I don't have cumin/cardamom/turmeric, I substitute generic curry powder for one or all, 1:1. Still tastes great.)