Saturday, October 04, 2008

Putting it All Together

I had a bunch of random thoughts regarding dinner last night. One - it's fall, I'm craving soup. Two - I want to come home from swimming and have dinner immediately because all of us will be cold and hungry. Three - I have a 4 lb bag of chana dal in the cupboard. Four - It has to be something healthy because I'm trying to lose a couple of pounds to make running easier. After scouring the interwebs to find the perfect recipe, I gave up and morphed some of the better ones into one to suit the ingredients that I had and the level of blandness that was required (after making one rather surprisingly volcanic Tofu Vindaloo this week, I had to redeem myself). The results were tasty, very healthy and made enough for the whole street (or to freeze for future quick Friday night meals).

Pardon the photo, but I was halfway through my bowl before I realized I might want a pic.



Golden Crockpot Split Chickpea Soup

2 tblsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 lb chana dal (split chickpeas), rinsed
4 cups veggie broth (I used a 1L asceptic package that I bought on sale for $1.99)
4 cups water
2/3 cup Thai red rice (could substitute brown rice)
sea salt and pepper to taste

THE NIGHT BEFORE
Chop the veggies

THE MORNING OF
Saute the onions in olive oil until soft. Add the other veggies and saute for a few minutes. Add to the crockpot along with the dal. Add the veggie broth and water. Turn on low and cook for around four hours.

AT LUNCH/WHENEVER YOU CAN
Add the rice. Cook for another 2-4 hours. Add more water if it looks thick. I ended up adding more 2 cups.

AT DINNER
Stir and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I never follow soup recipes either--I figure they are just a starting point for what I have on hand and what I am in the mood for! Your soup looks great, and I love that it is made in the crock pot! Those are the best kinds of soups--ready when you get home and they have the house smelling all wonderful too!

Courtney

Unknown said...

Yeah, it's definitely fall...all I've been craving is soup too! I'll have to try this one, as I love crockpot recipes! God knows I'm up early enough to get it going in the morning...

Kati said...

Ooh, looks delicious! I like all the simple ingredients.

Jen said...

Yum, soup weather!

I totally hear you on the wanting dinner ready RIGHT AWAY after a swim. It's its own special kind of hungry! This soup looks great!

Judy's Nutrition said...

That looks like a delicious and filling soup. I love tailoring a recipe to suit my ingredients and desires.

Meg Wolff said...

This looks like a wonderful fall meal.