I’ve been a bad girl.

…in the food blogging world.

I’ve neglected one of my favorite things: writing and cooking for you!

It’s been so beautiful that hot summer days and beach sunsets are getting my grocery shopping obsession a little bit off track. I just can’t help but soak up the sun and ocean every chance I get.

I’m also the girl who can never turn down breakfast, which is why I’ve been brunching around LA quite a bit. Brunching for hours is good for the soul. And quite tasty too! Fresh squeezed orange juice, dirty chai tea lattes (a must-try!), gorgeous fried egg-avocado sandwiches, acai bowls, blueberry buttermilk muffins; these things make me overjoyed.

I mean, you just know it’s been a good weekend when you can go to brunch and chow down on chocolate chip pancakes bigger than your face. Double points if you’re eating to cure a headache. Come on and laugh… you know it’s true.

It’s unfair that we can’t eat french fries and pancakes all the time, but with incredibly delicious vegan soups like this I don’t even miss them. That’s just a lie; I actually LOVE french fries all the time (especially with these homemade dipping sauces)!

Nevertheless this soup still is exceptionally good. The ingredients make the perfect combination of sweet and savory. It just reminds me of all things summer. Garlic! Onion! Carrots! Chickpeas! Tomatoes! Sweet Potatoes! Cumin! Fresh Basil!

I felt extremely satisfied after finishing off a bowl. In fact, I even told myself that it canceled out all that weekend eating and margarita downing. I only wish that were true.

This soup was inspired by a recipe for tomato-chickpea soup from one of my favorite new vegetarian cookbooks, Herbivoracious. A few weeks ago, I attended a book signing and cooking demonstration by Michael Natkin, author of the cookbook and blog Herbivoracious. The book if FULL of gorgeous vegetarian photos. I can’t wait to try out more recipes; some are even vegan and/or gluten-free too!

Michael sampled delicious stuffed polenta (a recipe in his book) at the event, signed my cookbook, and even told me he LOVED my blog name! Awwww.

One last thing. I’m excited to announce that I’ll be giving away this cookbook to one of my readers!

All you have to do is leave a comment below and tell me your favorite brunch spot (and what you eat there, obviously)! Also, be sure to like my Facebook page; where I’ll announce the winner a week from today!

 Don’t forget to make this soup! You might love it as much as french fries.

Vegan Tomato, Chickpea, and Sweet Potato Soup

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small white onion, chopped

1 orange pepper, diced

2 large carrots, diced

1-(16 oz. can) chickpeas

1-(16 oz can) diced tomatoes (I prefer fire roasted)

2 cups vegetarian broth

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced

salt and pepper for seasoning

fresh chopped basil, for garnish

1 sliced avocado, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in  a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt; saute for 2 minute. Add the diced orange pepper and carrots to the pot and saute for 5 minutes.
2. Add the entire can of tomatoes to the pot. Next add the chickpeas, vegetarian broth, cumin, basil, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a simmer; reduce the heat to medium, add diced sweet potatoes. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
3. Serve, garnished with additional basil and/or avocado slices if desired. Serves 4.

• Adding things like quinoa, chicken, pork, or turkey would make this dish higher in protein
• Feel free to add parsley or cilantro instead of basil
• You can use fresh tomatoes if you prefer