Healthy & Delicious Hummus Soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I think I will have to dedicate this week to the mighty chickpea--between the Hummus (with Homemade Tahini! Sorry, I still get excited about making my own tahini) to the Tuna & Chickpea Tabouleh, to today's Hummus Soup. Although this recipe is from "Supermarket Vegan: 225 Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes for Real People in the Real World" by Donna Klein, and it is designed to be made with prepared ingredients, I used my own homemade stock and hummus for delicious results. If you like hummus, you will like this flavorful soup.

Plus how much fun is it that this homemade tahini:

Became this hummus:

That turned into this Hummus Soup?

Klein says, "Ready in just about fifteen minutes, this marvelous Middle Eastern-style soup makes a filling supper, accompanied with lots of pita bread and a tossed green salad."

Hummus Soup

"Supermarket Vegan" by Donna Klein

(Makes 4 servings)

2 (14 oz) cans (3 1/2 cups) low-sodium vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups prepared plan (classic) hummus

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 to 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp toasted (dark) sesame oil

In a medium stockpot, bring the broth and hummus to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often to incorporate the hummus. Add the chickpeas, salt, pepper, and cayenne (if using); reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 10 minutes, stirring a few times. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice, olive and sesame oils. Serve hot.

Per Serving: Calories 335, protein 20g, total fat 13g, sat. fat 2g, cholesterol 0mg, carbohydrate 38g, dietary fiber 8g, sodium 684 mg.

Notes/Results: Really good! The broth is savory and has a lot of layers of flavor with the hummus, lemon and cayenne. I do apologize to all the vegans out there as I used my homemade chicken stock for the base, because that is what I had on hand. Since I don't make stock with any salt, and my hummus has less salt in it than prepared hummus, and I used 2 cups of cooked dried chickpeas, I am sure I brought those sodium numbers down a bit. I had about a cup and a half of cooked brown rice in the fridge which I tossed in as well--for a bit more fiber and texture. Served with toasted pita bread and a salad of romaine, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers fresh from the morning farmers market, it made a wonderful and healthy dinner that goes together quickly.

Let's take a look at who is in the Souper Sundays kitchen this July 4th and see what dishes they brought.

First up is Janet from The Taste Space with this Turkish Spicy Lentil and Bulgur Soup with Dried Mint and Red Pepper inspired by a soup at a cooking class on a trip to Turkey. She says, "...the recipe originates from southeast Turkey, where they like a bit more heat with their dishes. This soup has a very nice textural component, with cooked lentils perked with bulgur, in a spicy broth flavoured with tomato, red pepper and a dash of mint. Delicious and easy to make."

Spencer from Live2EatEat2Live has a unique Pig Feet Soup to share this week. He says, "To add variety to our menu, instead of chicken feet soup, I made pig feet soup. The difference between chicken feet and pig feet is that with chicken feet, it’s all feet. When purchasing pig feet at the grocer, you get the foot and part of the lower leg.For this version, I added kombu (Japanese seaweed), Chinese dried red dates, dried mushrooms, and raw peanuts to the pig foot to simmer for several hours."

Danielle from Cooking For My Peace of Mind made the most of some free morels she was luck enough to win and made a Potage Veloute Aux Champignons (Cream of Mushroom Soup). She says, "This recipe came from Julia Child's MtAoFC and I have to say...it is fabulous!!! Most often, when I cook, I change up stuff. I mean...that's what we do, right? But with Julia's recipe, I didn't change a thing!! It's easy, but not simple. It didn't take all that long...but there are several steps. And each step is sooooo worth it."

If you are still salivating over the Sweet Corn Soup with Mushrooms and Bacon that Joanne from Eats Well With Others shared last week, you'll be happy to see that Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies made it this week. She says, "I know, soup in the summer seems like punishment to my hubs too - but once you try this sweet corn soup you will be a convert. It is bursting with pure corn flavour and graced with savoury mushrooms and crispy bacon. A little oniony bun on the side and all is well with the world." (Hmm..soup as punishment? I guess eating soup year-round in warm sunny Hawaii must make me a masochist then?)

Lee Ann from Mangos, Chili and Z has a delectable Asian Chicken Salad with Wasabi Dresssing to share this week. Lee Ann says, "Melissa Rubel over at Food and Wine does it again with this interesting combination of flavors. And if you like wasabi, you’re going to love this double hit. This salad starts out soothing you with a fresh cool crunchy base of poached chicken, pear, cucumber and bean sprouts and then kicks your butt with a topping of wasabi peas and a creamy spicy wasabi dressing. Yum…eee."

girlichef knows the way to my heart with a Potato, Onion and Caper Salad. She says, "I bought a gorgeous little bunch...if you can refer to potatoes in the term bunch...of multi-colored fingerlings at the farmer's market a week or so ago and really needed to use them! So, I searched out Greek recipes that contained potatoes...and I find one that became a quick favorite. I love potato salads made with vinegar, but mostly have it German-style (BACON!). This particular recipe is fabulous...is packed full of those addictive, salty little bubbles...capers!"

Kim from Stirring the Pot made a healthy and fun Hippie Rice Salad this week. She says, "This is a terrific recipe and holds very well at room temperature, making it perfect for picnic baskets, this week's theme at IHCC! I found some gorgeous orange bell peppers at the market and decided to serve my rice salad in the bell pepper cups. It was delicious. Everyone enjoyed the slight nutty crunch from the sunflower seeds. Hippie Rice Salad was a total hit!"

The lovely Lori from Fake Food Free made a beautiful, nutritious Cucumber Dill What Berry Salad. Lori says, "So last week, armed with some wheat berries that desperately needed to be utilized, I began thinking about what herbs would go well with the grain. That led me to think about the fresh cucumbers I picked up at the farmer’s market which ended up in thoughts of Greek yogurt. The Cucumber Dill Wheat Berry Salad ended up a hit. I was able to combine two of my favorite herbs for a slightly Mediterranean cold grain salad."

Debby from A Feast for the Eyes stopped by with a nutritious Toasted Barley Salad with Fresh Herbs, Heirloom Tomatoes & Zucchini that she saw demonstrated at the Culinary Institute of America. She says, "The recipe tasted just like the small sample we received at the Culinary Institute. I loved the crunch of the toasted pine nuts and barley. Who doesn't love sun-ripened tomatoes? I loved the perfect balance of lemon with just a very light coating of olive oil. I ate three bowls of this salad, without one single ounce of guilt. This would make a pretty side dish at a barbecue or any kind of potluck."

Joanne from Eats Well With Others gets rid of her frustrations by screaming but sometimes requires comfort food, or in this case Roasted Green Bean and Fennel Pasta Salad. She says, "And by comfort food. I mean pasta. I should tell you that it had been two weeks since I'd had pasta. Which, really, is enough to induce kitchen table screaming all on its own.And so when I found some locally grown green beans and grape tomatoes at my nearest Whole Foods. A pasta salad was born. Although it tastes better cold the day after you make it, I have to say that I really did like it."

Making the most of her basil, Reeni from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice made this flavorful Roasted Red Potato and Tomato Salad with Basil Pesto. She says, "...a healthy alternative to mayonnaise-laden salads. Aside from the pesto sauce the salad is a simple one with only three ingredients: the potatoes, grape tomatoes and red onion. Simple to make, complex in flavor. Not only are the potatoes roasted but so are the grape tomatoes. Roasting them adds another layer of flavor, especially from the tomatoes that intensify and add a nice pop of acidity to the salad. The pesto sauce is made with basil, parsley, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. Flavors that compliment both potatoes and tomatoes."

There you have it--a great round up of dishes for a holiday weekend--lots of satisfying soups and scrumptious salads to enjoy. Thanks to all who joined in. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share, click on the Souper Sunday logo on the side bar for all of the details.

Have a safe and happy holiday!