Non-Brown Soups

My roommates pointed out to my great chagrin that 'all the soups you make are the same color.' And it's mostly the truth-- cumin, lentils, lamb...these things tend to make things brown.

Besides the delicious fish stew and butternut squash bisque featured previously on this blog, much of it looks the same.

Any suggestions for something truly more colorful?? To turn this cumin-scented frown upside down?

Lamb and Chickpea Stew (bag o' spinach v.6?)

The Story: I admit it, I wish I could branch out more-- try some Asian soups, maybe a tom yum, or go for something Greek or French, a nice cassoulet or a delicious avgolemono. However, Middle East, I just can't quit you!

I'm in a new saving money, being delicious mode where I cook a big tupperware of soup and leave it at work to eat for my lunches throughout the week*. Not that I'm tired of lentils, but I was up in the Bronx today and found a great, cheap market where chickpeas were on super sale. I bought myself three bucks worth of lamb stew meat and bam, lunch is born (boom goes the dynamite, anyone?)

The Ingredients

• Enough olive oil to coat the bottom of your pot (in my case, trusty pressure cooker)
• 1 diced medium yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 minced cloves of garlic
• some lamb stew meat, preferably boneless (1 package will do)
• bag of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed of water
• 2 cans of chickpeas, drained and washed
• dried thyme, to smell
• cumin to taste
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• ginger, to taste
• salt and pepper, duh

The Cooking:

Heat olive oil in bottom of pot. Brown meat in the olive oil. Toss in onion and garlic once browned, and saute until clear. Toss in tomato paste and stir until melted in. Add water to cover, and all spices. Cook down until meat is tender. Add chickpeas and spinach and let simmer for around 20 minutes. Yum.

* Someone came in and threw out all our food from work in our fridge! It was a tragedy-- I had two more days of lunch left in there!!