Tomato Chickpea and Coconut Soup

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Soup on a windy, stormy, wet day... what could be better?!  We had one of those days when our daughter was here.  Believe it or not, we do have days like that here in the Virgin Islands from time to time.  Of course, that was the day we had planned to sail to Anegada.   We were determined to get there and knew the "mighty" Green Flash could handle it along with our hearty guests, Ashley and Cody.  Although, I must say, I did question our decision for a short time when we saw several boats start out with us and turn back.  With 30 knots of wind and several rain squalls it definitely made for a fun adventure.  I wish I could have taken more pictures.  By the time we got there we were all a little soggy, cold and hungry, especially Hubby.

It's not very often a bowl of hot soup sounds good here in the tropics, but that day nothing sounded better.  I happened to have all the ingredients on board for this soup and it's not one you have to cook for a long period so it was the perfect solution to warm us up and fill our bellies.

A little stormy weather wasn't going to stop us from doing our favorite walk from Neptune's Treasure to Cow Wreck.  It was actually nice to have the cloud cover to keep us cool.

You can't possibly do this walk without stopping to take a few pictures.  It is just so incredibly surreal and beautiful!

This soup can be made ahead of time and like most soups, gets better the longer it sits.  You could serve this soup with a panini or grilled cheese.  My daughter eats gluten free so extra servings of soup for us was enough. 

Tomato Chickpea and Coconut Soup

Author:  Sherri

Serves:  4

Ingredients

  • 1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
  • 1 small Yellow Onion (or half of a large one), chopped
  • 2 big Garlic Cloves, no need to chop
  • 1 tsp Paprika 
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 14-oz. can of Diced Tomatoes, with their juice
  • 2 pinches of Sugar (optional)
  • 2 to 3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme and extra for garnish
  • 1 C canned Chickpeas, rinsed and drained, plus extra to add at the end
  • 1 C full fat, unsweetened Coconut Milk
  • 1 1/2 C Water
  • 1/4 C Parmesan Cheese, grated
  • Red Chile Flakes and a drizzle of Olive Oil for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a medium pot. Add the Onion, Garlic a few pinches of Salt and Pepper, and cook until the Onion is translucent. Add the Paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the Balsamic Vinegar and stir. Add the Tomatoes, Sugar and Thyme Leaves. Stir, then add the Chickpeas, Coconut Milk and Water. Cover and gently simmer for about 20.  Uncover and let cool slightly.
  2. Transfer to a blender and puree. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add the Parmesan Cheese and additional Water to thin the soup, if necessary.
  3. Garnish bowls with Chickpeas, extra Thyme Leaves, Red Chile Flakes and a drizzle of Olive Oil.

Enjoy!