African Coconut Curried Chickpea Soup

I broke my ankle and had to stay off my feet for three long months. This is one of the recipes my son made to stock my freezer. It's a wonderful, fragrant vegetarian soup. You can add some shredded chicken or pork to it if you want to add meat.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 Cups

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 1  medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1  jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
• 2  large  cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2  cups  low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1  cup tomatoes, chopped
• 1  teaspoon curry powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
• 3⁄4 cup brown rice, Cooked
• 2  tablespoons cilantro, Chopped

Directions

1. In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and chili; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, curry powder, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve warm.