Garlicky Chickpea Spinach Soup -- VeganMOFO #11

After searching the internet, specifically FoodGawker, I came across a delicious-looking recipe for a chickpea garlic soup on Needful Things's blog.  It looked a bit creamy, which actually scared me a little because the recipe called for cream.  Well, eating vegan means no cow's milk, which means no cream.  So, I sent out a distress call on Twitter and had an overwhelming response from numerous tweeters (I love my Twitter peeps!).  One in particular stood out: @EpicurVegan said to try coconut milk as a replacement, which was promptly seconded by a few other folks.  If Twitter pals say it, it must be true, right?

Like the original source for this soup recipe says, it's good for cleaning out your fridge!  I used up half a bunch of spinach that was headed south and a couple of Idaho potatoes from my fridge and some onion and garlic from my counter top.  Even better was the fact that I had a can of reduced fat coconut milk sitting in my cupboard waiting patiently to be used.  I bought it on a whim and never even thought about how I would use it.  So, it was perfect! 

I definitely altered the recipe in several ways, so I will post my version here.  I added quite a bit more spice because that's just how I roll.  I loooooove spices.  I also added more garlic and tahini.  Anywhoooo, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 yellow onion, diced or roughly chopped
• 2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 average-size Idaho potatoes, scrubbed and diced small (about 1/3 inch cubes)
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 TB cornstarch
• 2/3 cup reduced fat coconut milk
• 2 1/2 TB tahini
• 1/2 bunch of spinach - about 6-8 oz-, stems cut off and shredded (don't forget to wash very well!)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
• 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt

Method:

1. Heat oil over med-high heat in a stock pot or very large sauce pan.  I used an enameled cast iron stock pot.
2. After heating for 2 minutes, I added the onion.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until softened.  Then add your garlic and stir again.  Cook 1-2 minutes.
3. Add in the dry spices.  Stir.
4. Add the broth and potatoes.  Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes.  Then add in the chickpeas.  Cook another 5-ish minutes.  Check your potatoes.  You want them to be fork-tender.  Not hard, but not mush either.
5. In a bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, cornstarch and tahini.  Once it is all combined, stir the mixture into the soup and add the spinach.  Cook about 3-4 minutes so the soup thickens and the spinach wilts.  Check the flavor and add more spices as necessary.  I added a bit more garlic salt and a dash more cumin.  We ate ours with some garlic bread because nothing goes better with a garlicky soup than garlic bread!  The crust is perfect as a soup crouton. Enjoy!!