Gypsy Soup

Feeling so confident after my first soup making experience, I wanted to make another soup! This is a recipe that my good friend Kaitlyn's mother passed down to her and we are so happy that she did! Gypsy Soup is the perfect soup for fall! Easy to make, flexible with ingredients, and I already had most of the vegetables in my fridge! Colors, texture and taste create a delicious healthy hommade soup that will warm your body with every bite.

Recipe:

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 cups chopped, peeled sweet potato

½ cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

¾ cup chopped sweet peppers

1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas

3 cups stock or water

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon salt

dash of cinnamon

dash of cayanne

1 bay leaf

1. In a large pot saute onions, garlic, celery, and sweet potatoes in olive oil for about 5 minutes.
2. Add seasonings and the stock or water. Simmer, covered, fifteen minutes.
3. Add remaining vegetables and chickpeas. Simmer another 10 minutes or so - until all the vegetables are as tender as you like them.

A couple notes:

The vegetables in this soup are so flexible. I used 1 medium yellow onion, chopped. 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped. Added 2 whole carrots sliced into thin round pieces. 1 orange bell pepper sliced into pieces about as big as the carrots.

Instead of using fresh tomatoes I used 1 can (15 ounces) of diced tomatoes, including juice. I also replaced the 1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas with I can drained, rinsed garbanzo beans. The beans weren't quite as tender as the vegetables so they can probably be added 5 to 7 minutes into the simmering in step 2.

Because the portions I used were a bit bigger than the recipe called for and I added the carrots, I used about 5 tablespoons of olive oil. I also added more vegetable broth, about 4 cups.

This recipe is one of my new favorites and provides lots of leftovers to enjoy later or share with family and friends!

Enjoy!