Creamy Chickpea Chowder

I know it has been a while since my last post...I sincerely apologize. I have been cooking a lot, but struggling to find time to blog about it. I also have been really busy with work at Station 22 Cafe. Plus, I am working on a project. It's a surprise so I cannot tell you about it. I will just say that I will soon be done with it and I will post pictures of my soon-to-be masterpiece. Trust me, it's going to be awesome.

Meanwhile, in other news... Have you ever heard of a blog giveaway? Basically it's a prize that bloggers give out randomly. Out of the many people that comment and ask to win, they only choose one winner. A couple weeks ago, I was researching gluten-free blogs for my oldest sister (who cannot eat gluten/sugar). On one specific blog there was a cookbook giveaway. When I commented, I explained how my sister just found out that she could not eat gluten and was having a hard time finding recipes that  actually tasted good. Well to make a long story short, I WON! Yes, me, Sarah, won the cookbook giveaway! I am so excited to send the cookbook to my sister. Click here to see!

Okay, back to the food! So I have a ton of chickpeas in my fridge from my falafel party and I wanted to make use of them, so I made a creamy chickpea chowder. It had such a great flavor. I am sure you will love this scrumptious soup that has just the right amount of spice. My friend said it tasted "cozy..." Ha, I never would have thought of that to describe food. But I like it--"cozy"   :)

Vegetables, oh yes.

Chop chop.

Creamy Chickpea Chowder

 4-6 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 cup diced carrot
1 celery stalk, diced
1/3 sweet red bell pepper, diced
1 cup peeled and diced potato
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup 2% milk
3/4 cup corn kernels
1 cup canned (or cooked) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Directions
Over medium high heat, cook onion, carrot, celery, pepper and potatoes in oil for 3-5 minutes until golden. Stir frequently. Add a little more oil if the pan gets too dry.

Stir in spices and cook for another minute. Add butter to the pot. Once melted sprinkle on the flour and stir well. Cook for a minute then add stock and milk. Stir well.
Bring up to a simmer and add corn and chickpeas. Cook for 10 minutes on medium low heat or until potatoes are tender.

Food with friends.