Chickpea and Vegetable Couscous Soup from Marie Claire Supper

This is a great healthy soup that I love for lunches and light dinners.  We actually had it for lunch today with my parents before I drove them back to the airport after their stay with us.

My only suggestion for this is to reduce the amount of eggplant and cut it into smaller pieces.  I find really large chunks of eggplant quite overpowering and today I removed quite a few pieces from the soup as they can detract from all the other delicious veggies.

It's also a good soup for the freezer - I add the couscous once it's defrosted and simmering on the stove.

2 tbsp oil
2 onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp mild paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 large potato, cut into large pieces
1 large carrot, cut into large pieces
1 yellow zucchini, thickly sliced
1 green zucchini, thickly sliced
2 slender eggplants, thickly sliced
400g can peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped
400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 litre vegetable stock
1/2 cup couscous
2 tbsp natural yoghurt
1 tbsp shredded fresh mint

Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onions, garlic and chilli over medium heat until the onion is soft.
Add the spices and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes, or until they start to soften.
Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and stock and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetable are soft.
Remove from the heat and add the couscous.
Leave, covered for 10 minutes or until the couscous is soft.
Serve topped with the yoghurt and sprinkled with mint.

Marie Claire Style Supper, Jody Vassallo, Page 42.