Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Are you planning for your Christmas feast for your friends and families? Keep in mind that when planning your menu, your vegetarian guests will not want to eat anything with meat or gelatin. But there is no need to panic. Take a deep breath and be prepared to amaze your friends and loved-ones with the perfect Thanksgiving meal.

Carrot soup falls under the category of Middle Eastern cuisine, but is a favorite for many people. Our secret ingredient-- is chickpeas. Chickpeas provide ton of texture and taste to the soup.

Required Ingredients of the soup:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,

1 small onion chopped,

3 cups vegetable stock,

6 to 8 garlic cloves, skinned and smashed,

2 pounds carrots (thinly sliced),

1/2 teaspoon crushed cumin,

2 leeks (thinly sliced),

1/4 teaspoon crushed coriander,

A pan,

A pinch of red pepper flakes, and

Salt.

Ingredients for garnishing:

Coarsely chopped Italian parsley leaf (flat),

Sesame seeds,

1¼ cups of spiced roasted chickpeas,

2 tablespoons lemon juice,

2 to 3 tablespoons Tahini, and

Water.

Steps:

Take a pan, pour a little olive oil, and heat the pan in medium heat.

Then, add thinly chopped onions, carrots, leeks, garlic cloves, coriander, cumin, 1-teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes, and sauté. Stir gently for about fifteen minutes or until the color changes to brown.

Now add the vegetable stock to the pan and reduce the flame to simmer for more than 20 minutes. Wait until the carrots are cooked and would come out easily without squishing.

Next, mix the soup until smooth using an immersion blender.

You can spice up the soup to taste with some olive oil and salt.

Beat together Tahini, lemon juice, water, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl until they mix well.

Pour the soup into the soup bowls and decorate the bowl with the lemon-Tahini mixture, a pinch of sesame seeds, roasted chickpeas, and sliced parsley.

Your hot and delicious carrot soup is ready.

* Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons.