The peanut butter provides surprising depth to this soup. Sauté 2 chopped onions, a few cloves minced garlic, and ¼ cup chopped parsley in oil until fragrant and lightly browned. Add 1 tsp each cumin and cumin seeds, 2 cups stewed tomatoes (here, I added 15 oz canned stewed tomatoes with juice and 1 ripe, thinly sliced tomato), 8 cups water or broth (here, we used chicken broth), 30 oz drained chick peas, and 15 oz drained navy beans. Season to taste with a dash each salt, black pepper, cayenne, and baharat (middle eastern 7 spice seasoning). Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 20 mins. Add 2 heaping Tbsp peanut butter to balance out acidity (I also added some sugar). Let simmer for another 10 mins, then serve. This recipe is loosely based on a bean soup from Classic Vegetarian Cooking From the Middle East and North Africa and from this online recipe: http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/12889/peanut-butter-vegetable-chicken-soup/ (June 2015)
Cooking Adventures 