Moroccan Vegetable Soup

I love the Moroccan flavors of the this rich and hearty vegetable soup. I like to puree part of the soup to give it the thickness that I enjoy in a soup, however, if you prefer a brothier soup, just skip the puree. Don’t skip the gremolata on top. It is super simple to make and really brings all the flavors together. The yogurt is optional, but I really like the way it cools the spices and rounds out the flavors!

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, small dice

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4'’ rounds

1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped

1 fennel bulb, chopped

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1⁄2 cup parsley, chopped

1⁄2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup dry red lentils, rinsed

2 1⁄2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. harissa paste

4 cups vegetable broth

1 lemon (zest lemon before juicing and retain for use in gremolata)

Unsweetened coconut yogurt (sub any unsweetened dairy or non-dairy yogurt

or exclude, this is optional for garnish)

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of avocado oil and spread

   around to coat bottom of pot. Add onion, celery, and fennel and sauté for 5 minutes

   until translucent.

2. Add sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnip. Sauté for 3 minutes more.

3. Add 2 cloves minced garlic, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and cinnamon, stir for about 30

   seconds or until fragrant.

4. Add 4 cups of broth, chickpeas, lentils, and the juice of 1⁄2 lemon. Bring to a boil, reduce

   heat to simmer and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.

5. While soup is simmering, combine in a small bowl the chopped parsley, cilantro, 1 clove

   minced garlic and the lemon zest to create a gremolata.

6. To soup, add harissa paste, season with salt/pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as

   desired, adding more lemon, salt/pepper, or harissa.

7. Remove about 3 cups of soup to the blender and puree, being careful that steam does

   not burn you when blending.

8. Return puree to pot and stir all together. Taste again and adjust seasoning as needed.

9. Garnish with gremolata and yogurt (optional).