Lemony Chickpea Soup

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and season with a pinch of salt. Stir in the brown rice and boil without stirring for 10 minutes. Drain the rice in a fine mesh sieve and set aside.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Set aside one can, and transfer the other to the food processor.
3. Heat 1/4 cups of olive oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add carrots, onion, a few pinches of salt, and cook until softened (about 10 min.)
5. Add the garlic and, after 2 min, add the tomato paste and spices (oregano, coriander, turmeric, and red pepper flakes). Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until the tomato paste darkens.
6. Add rice and toss in the aromatics and oil for 1 minute, then add one can of chickpeas plus salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat, and pour in the vegetable broth, followed by half of the chopped dill. Bring to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer and cover the pan. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until the rice is soft.
8. While the soup simmers, roughly chop the spinach and make the chickpea puree.
9. After 15 minutes, stir the chickpea puree into the soup to combine, then add the chopped spinach. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the soup thickens and greens slightly wilt.
10. Off the heat, stir in the remaining dill and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste, adding salt/pepper or more lemon juice as desired. Transfer to bowls and drizzle each bowl with a bit of good-quality olive oil for richness.

Chickpea puree

1. To the chickpeas in the food processor, add the milk, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, nutritional yeast, miso, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Blend until pureed and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt or lemon juice as needed.