Mulligatawny Lentil and Chickpea Soup

I got the base for this recipe from this site and then made quite a few changes. I adjust the seasoning to suit my taste (usually adding more) and the amount of liquid as needed.

http://www.wholeliving.com/132648/mulligatawny-chickpeas

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 leek (white part only) cleaned and sliced (or diced onion)
• 2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger (I keep mine in the freezer)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 can (19 oz) cooked lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 litres of vegetable broth (or more)
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Chopped green onions for garnish
• Cooked brown rice

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add celery, carrot, leeks, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and cayenne; season with salt and pepper. Saute, stirring, until soft. Add a little broth if too dry. Add lentils and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover and cook until lentils are soft, 7 to 9 minutes. Add in zucchini, cook 2-3 minutes until soft. Puree soup with immersion blender. Add up to 2 additional cups of veg broth or water. Cook over medium until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
2. Saute chickpeas in a little oil, S&P, cumin and/or other spices until crisp. Alternatively, you can add the chickpeas directly into the soup with the lentils and skip the saute part.
3. Serve soup topped with green onions and sauteed chickpeas if using, with rice alongside.  

** The second time I made this, I didn't saute the chickpeas, I just added them in along with the lentils. Sometimes, I throw the cooked rice right into the pot as well, and it comes out a little more like a stew.