SOUPS A HIT!

YES! I am two for two so far this fall season with my soups! First it was my Lentil Soup and then it was my Buckwheat, cabbage and cannellini bean soup! Making a HUGE pot of soup on Sunday fills me with so much HAPPINESS! It makes our week less stressful and easy to have quick meals! One huge pot of soup will feed us for 3-4 days PLUS we will have extra in the freezer. Both Mario & I LOVE to eat soups for dinner.
I was on a quest for yet another recipe to make this Sunday until I came across this one on a Vegetarian website!

Red Lentils Quinoa & some YUMMY  Veggies

The recipe calls for using a CROCK POT- which we don't have, but we do have a rice cooker. SO in order for me to make this, I will do it as I do all of my soup recipes. I will cook the quinoa first in the rice cooker, and while it's cooking I will prep the veggies and saute them in a big sauce pot, and just add the quinoa at the end. It's SO Simple! 






This hearty low fat crockpot quinoa soup recipe combines quinoa with red lentils and veggies, for a simple but satisfying vegetarian or vegan main dish soup recipe. Vary the veggies to your taste.

If you need to be away longer, a digital timer is handy & inexpensive. Then your crockpot recipes can be ready to eat when you are.

4 - 6 qt crockpot, low heat, 5 - 6 hr: To speed up cooking, preheat the crockpot on high, bring everything to a boil in another pot, add to the crockpot and cook on high for 2 - 3 hours.

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 3/4 cup small red lentils (masoor dhal)
• Optional: 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 small head cauliflower OR 2 medium potatoes or OR 1 med. zucchini OR 1 small butternut squash
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 inch piece cinnamon stick
• 2 thin slices fresh ginger
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded
• 6 cups water or soup stock
• 1/2 tsp gr cumin
• 1/2 tsp gr fennel seed
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp gr coriander
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaf or 1 sprig fresh
• 1 tsp dried basil or 1 Tbsp minced fresh
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary leaves or 1 sprig fresh
• 1 tsp salt or to taste and fresh ground black pepper
• 4 Tbsp minced fresh herbs: parsley, cilantro or basil
• Optional: 2 cups chopped fresh greens: kale, chard, or spinach
• More Heat: Add 1/2 - 1 tsp green curry paste OR 1/4 tsp cayenne powder

Crockpot Directions:

1. Rinse the quinoa and red lentils in a bowl or pan, then drain into a colander
2. Peel the carrots, slice lengthwise, then slice in thin pieces
3. Wash and trim the celery stalks, then slice crosswise in thin pieces
4. Break or cut the cauliflower into large chunks - these will break up into smaller pieces as they cook
5. Combine olive oil, quinoa, lentils, herbs & spices, fresh ginger and jalapeno in the crockpot
6. Add the vegetables, except for the optional greens, and cover with the 6 cups water
7. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or more if needed
8. 20 minutes before serving, turn the heat up to high and stir in optional greens
9. Just before serving, add the minced fresh parsley, basil or cilantro, salt & pepper, and serve, removing the ginger slices, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, as you come across them

XO Tina.