Moroccan chickpea stew with roasted red pepper coulis

My friend Molly gave me a wonderful soup cookbook as a 'recovery gift.' The book is A Beautiful Bowl of Soup: The Best Vegetarian Recipes. (Thanks, Molly!) I made my first soup from the cookbook tonight, and it turned out wonderful. I modified it slightly, and here is my version.

First, in blender, blend: 1/4-1/2 cup of roasted red peppers (I used the jarred variety from Trader Joes), 1 T olive oil, a dash of red wine vinegar, a bit of salt, and a bit of sugar. Let puree until very smooth. Set aside, then rinse out blender so it will be ready for the soup.

In a couple of tablespoons of olive oil saute:
a chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
a chopped red bell pepper
2 chopped carrots
stir occasionally over med-high heat for about 10 minutes. Add a little white wine to the bottom of the pan if it gets too brown (or water if you prefer).
Add about a teaspoon each of cumin and turmeric. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne (to taste) and 2 t of thyme. Add a can of chickpeas (drained), 3 cups of veggie broth, and the juice of half of a lemon. Add S&P to taste. Let simmer for 5-10 mins, and then put in blender, and blend on high for a couple of minutes, until- yes, you guessed it- you can drink it through a straw.

Pour into a bowl, and add a couple of circles of the roasted red pepper coulis. This is a REALLY delicious soup. I'll probably even make it when I can eat solid food.