Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpea and Tempeh Moghrabieh

By: Noha Elbadry-Cloud, excerpted from The Vegan Middle Eastern Cookbook

Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea and Tempeh Moghrabieh

By: Noha Elbadry-Cloud, excerpted from The Vegan Middle Eastern Cookbook

Moghrabieh is a beautifully hearty Lebanese soup. The dish has two main components: a gorgeous broth highlighting Lebanese 7 spice and caraway seed, and perfectly chewy moghrabieh, which is almost identical to pearl couscous. While the soup typically features chicken, I used roasted tempeh and cauliflower to provide amazing texture and flavor. This is the perfect soup to sip on a cold day, and it’s a great winter dinner to share with loved ones.

Yields6 servings

Dietary ConsiderationVegan

Ingredients

For the Soup
2 (16-oz [454-g]) blocks tempeh, chopped
1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 1/2 cup (246 g) cooked chickpeas
2 teaspoons (8 g) Lebanese 7 Spice, divided
2 teaspoons (10 g) sea salt, divided
1 tablespoon (15 ml) neutral oil
1 tablespoon (15 g) vegan butter
1 large onion, chopped
6 medium sage leaves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground caraway
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cube vegetable bouillon
For the Moghrabieh
1 tablespoon (15 g) vegan butter
1 1/2 cup (336 g) moghrabieh or pearl couscous
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
To Serve
Chopped fresh parsley
Chopped scallions
Lemon slices
Sautéed honeynut squash and bell peppers

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 420°F (215°C).
In a large bowl, mix together the tempeh, cauliflower, chickpeas, 1 teaspoon of Lebanese 7 spice, 1 teaspoon of salt and the oil until well incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a sheet pan and roast, flipping once or twice to cook evenly, until everything is crispy, about 30 minutes. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and set it aside.
In a large pot, melt the vegan butter over medium heat. Once bubbling, add the onion and cook until softened and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining Lebanese 7 spice and salt along with the caraway and black pepper. Stir together for 30 seconds. Add the bouillon, 5 cups (1.2 L) of water and the roasted cauliflower, chickpeas and tempeh. Turn the heat to high. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
To make the moghrabieh, bring 2¼ cups (540 ml) of water to a boil in a medium pot. Stir in the butter, moghrabieh, thyme, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until almost all the water has been absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit covered for 5 minutes. Fluff the moghrabieh and set it aside.
Plate the moghrabieh, then ladle the broth over it. Top with more moghrabieh and garnish with parsley, scallions and lemon. Serve with your choice of side dish, if desired.