Ecuadorean Quinoa and Vegetable Soup

ratherbeswimmin''s Note:

I have tried several recipes using quinoa and never liked any of them until this one. It is important to rinse this grain very, very well to get rid of the bitter taste. This is an adapted Moosewood recipe.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1/2 cup raw quinoa
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup diced potato
• 1 cup chopped red bell peppers or 1 cup green bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups water (I prefer vegetable stock) or 3 cups vegetable stock (I prefer vegetable stock)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 1 cup diced zucchini or 1 cup yellow squash
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Rinse the quinoa very well in a fine mesh strainer under running water; set aside to drain.
2. Heat the oil in a large soup pot.
3. Add in the onions and salt; cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes--stir every now and then.
4. Add in the drained quinoa, potatoes, bell pepper, coriander, cumin, oregano, pepper, vegetable stock, and tomatoes; stir to combine.
5. Cover and bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Add in the zucchini; cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
7. Add in the lemon juice; stir to combine.
8. Serve.

Reviews

[PatrickG]

This was really excellent! Had a bunch of extra vegetables in the fridge, so I added brussel sprouts, carrots, ginger, garlic, sweet potato and upped the quinoa a bit to compensate. Easy recipe to play with, and it turned out so good. Highly recommend the ginger, it works great with the lemon juice. Also, if you really want to stay really low on calories, you can "steam fry" the onions in 1/4 cup water with the lid on rather than use oil. I never tried that before and was skeptical, but it worked fine and there's plenty of flavor in this soup without the oil. Thanks for posting!

[Karen Escobar]

Great stuff. Very flavorful, I was skeptical of the lemon but it was great, and I added cilantro. I played kind of fast and loose with the ingredients, a whole quart of stock, 2 smallish red potatoes, a whole red pepper, whole mediumish zucchini, 2 smallish onions, added some mild bulk sausage I had left from breakfast, etc., only really measured the seasonings. I will be making this a lot, with carrots next time and who knows what else. Thanks ratherbeswimmin'.

[carole in orlando]

This is one of the richest tasting soups we have ever eaten! I followed it to the letter and we just couldn't get enough of it. My husband is still talking about it the next day. Thanks, Carole