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.

Dakota Smashed Pea and Barley Soup

This is my favorite split pea soup and I have made it countless times.

Dakota Smashed Pea and Barley Soup
(From the California Pizza Kitchen "Pasta, Salad, Soups, and Sides" cookbook)
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

"I've had so many customers say they cannot believe that this soup is nonfat," reports Katie Cooper, a server at the CPK in Santa Barbara, California. "They say it tastes too good to be healthy." We hear that again and again about this unusual version of good-old split pea soup, made more robust by the addition of barley, vegetables, and lively seasonings.

• 1 lb dried split peas, sorted and rinsed
  
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
  
• 2 quarts water
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1 Tblsp soy sauce
  
• 1 Tblsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 Tblsp dried)
  
• 2 tsp minced garlic
  
• 1/2 tsp rubbed dried sage
  
• Large pinch ground cumin
  
• 1-1/2 cups diced carrots
  
• 2/3 cup minced onion
  
• 1/3 cup finely diced celery
  
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion greens
  

1. In a large pot or saucepan, combine the split peas, barley, water, bay leaves, salt, soy sauce, thyme, garlic, sage, and cumin. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
   

   
   

2. Stir in the carrots, onion, and celery. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes more. Discard the bay leaves. Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with scallion greens.
   

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

When I was at the grocery store with the "good vegetables" last week, I looked around to see what appealed to me. Of course, I should have thought about this before leaving for the grocery store, but there you go. :)

Our weather has turned very foggy and cold. Yup, Fall has arrived (though I don't kid myself - we will be seeing more hot weather before Halloween). I found myself attracted to all the root vegetables, so I bought a variety. At home, I already had some acorn squash from Trader Joes - I really like acorn squash and try to keep it on hand when in season. I also picked up two quarts of my favorite soup broth - Organic No-Chicken Broth by Imagine.

When I got home, I looked up some recipes and I found this Winter Root Vegetable Soup recipe on allrecipes.com, my favorite recipe site. I decided to adapt it to what I had on hand. I did make some changes. For example, neither I nor my daughters need all that heavy cream, so I left it out. I sauteed the onion in olive oil, not butter. I also did not puree the soup, as we love vegetable soup with chunks of veggies around here. I grated up some Gruyere cheese to add as a garnish. Yum.

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2"(ish) cubes
  
• 2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2"(ish) cubes
  
• 4 (smallish) carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2"(ish) cubes
  
• 1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/2"(ish) cubes
  
• 1 acorn squash, cut in half, seeds removed, and flesh removed with a melon baller
  
• 2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" (ish) cubes
  
• olive oil
  
• salt
  
• pepper
  
• 1 Tbsp Herbs du Provence
  
• 1 onion, diced
  
• 3 cubes of frozen crushed garlic (diced fresh cloves would work)
  
• 2 quarts vegetable broth (I used No-Chicken broth)
  
• grated Gruyere cheese for garnish
  

Two of my favorite products. No-Chicken Broth and frozen crushed garlic (from Trader Joes).

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Prepare all the root veggies and the acorn squash. I could not fit them into one pan, so I used my two smallish cookie sheets that have a 1" lip. Divide the veggies between the two pans, drizzle olive oil over each, and then some salt and pepper. Mix to distribute the oil and seasonings. Put into preheated oven and stir every 15 minutes until done - I roasted each pan about 38-40 minutes.

Veggies about to be roasted (left) and Veggies roasted (right)

Next, dice the onion. (I would have also used celery as called for in the original recipe, if I'd had any.) Heat a soup pot, add some olive oil, and saute the onion. Add the garlic. When the onion is soft and translucent, add the broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and add the roasted veggies. Also add the Herbs de Provence (or whatever seasoning you prefer).

Simmer, very gently, about 30 minutes, or until the flavors come together. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Grate some Gruyere and serve as a garnish in each bowl.

Top picture is at the beginning of simmering, bottom picture is when I warmed it for dinner - much more like a stew.

Notes:

OMIGOSH. I can't believe how yummy this soup was when warmed up. My plans of serving it with a salad or another side dish went up in smoke - no time to prepare. The kids dove in, eating it with the grated Gruyere and sliced whole wheat sourdough. My mouth is SO HAPPY! I doubt there will be enough for another full meal as those kids had multiple servings. ;)

• Carnivore's rating (DD1): 4.5/5
  
• Vegetarian's rating (DD2): 4.8/5
  
• My rating: 5/5