I have been returning to a healthier lifestyle. This means I do more cooking. I concocted this Quinoa-based soup using ingredients I had on-hand. This recipe is more carb-y than I would generally make, but I didn't want the potatoes to go to waste and I couldn't break up the bag of frozen peas, so I had to use the whole thing. :)

My kitchen is slowly reflecting healthier ingredients so, in future, I would change out the potatoes and peas for something else.

This soup is very yummy and only improves with age.

This is the first time I used quinoa that is pre-rinsed - it's nice not to worry about rinsing it to remove the bitterness. Quinoa is absolutely packed with protein. I'm going to make this again tomorrow!

Quinoa Vegetable Soup

• scant Tblsp oil for frying onion and garlic
• water, as needed, for water-sauteing other veggies
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cubes frozen garlic
• 3 red potatoes (med sized), cubed
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 Tblsp (generous) Blend It Up Spice (original flavor)
• 3 tiny zucchini
• 3 cubes frozen parsley
• handful of green beans, cut into pieces
• 1 box no-chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 Tblsp (generous) Fuhrman Vegizest powder (optional)
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (prewashed)
• 1 bag frozen peas (it was frozen solid, so I used the entire bag)
• couple handfuls of baby spinach

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot. Saute the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the veggies that taker longer to cook - potatoes and carrots. Add seasoning - the Blend It Up spice, in my case.
3. Add water, as needed, to water-saute the veggies. The potatoes start to break down after a bit. This is good.
4. Add the veggies that cook more quickly - zucchini and green beans, along with the parsley.
5. Once the veggies have cooked a bit, add the liquid - in my case, a mix of Imagine No-Chicken broth and water.
6. Add the quinoa, frozen peas and spinach. Add the Vegizest, if desired. (A powder that is packed with nutrition, but is purely optional.)
7. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, partially covered, until all the veggies, and the quinoa, are done.
8. Remove from heat. At this point it is thick, but it will get even thicker as it cools. This is how I like it - almost a stew. But if you prefer a thinner soup, you can thin it out with water or stock.