Soup ingredients:
4 cups of chickpeas (soaked overnight)
5 cups of veg stock (use homemade or low-sodium)
1/3 cup peanuts (toasted in a pan over high-heat)
2 teaspoons of salt (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon of white pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice

Roasted eggplant ingredients:
1 large or 2 small eggplants
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 garlic clove finely minced
1 teaspoon of coarse salt
1 teaspoon of ground pepper

Red onion salad ingredients:
1 small red onion
1 tablespoon of greek yogurt (plus more for garnish)
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Soup steps:
Place veg stock and chickpeas in a large spot and bring to a boil. Skim any foam that rises to the surface then cover and reduce heat to a simmer for one hour or until chickpeas are easily pierced with a fork. Add all of the soup ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer back to pot and keep warm.

Eggplant steps:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut eggplant into quarters, then again into 1/2 inch pieces. Coat with sesame oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread eggplant out on sheet pan and cook 30 - 45 minutes until brown on top and dark brown on the bottom. Reserve eggplant at room temperature.

Red onion salad steps:
Cut off both ends of the red onion and then cut in half (end-to-end). Lay the onions halves flat and cut half-moon strips by cutting narrow segments perpendicular to the ends. Toss strips with greek yogurt, lemon juice,s&p.

Plating:
Place several pieces of the eggplant in the center of a shallow bowl. Ladle the warm soup around the eggplant still leaving eggplant visible in the center. Pinch a small bunch of the red onion salad and place into the center. Garnish with toasted chopped nuts and a dot of yogurt with a toothpick dragged through it.

Serves 6 people.