Vegetable and Quinoa Soup

Since me and my husband's food revelation, we're discovering more foods we love that we never heard of! This journey has lead us to the overwhelming presence of quinoa in our household. 


Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is technically a seed, but has many qualities, uses and components of a grain. Because it is comprised of all 9 essential amino acids, it is a complete protein. It is easy to digest, gluten-free and easy to prepare--basically, just like rice.

Left: Red Quinoa (sweeter); Right: White Quinoa

I've started adding quinoa to just about anything I can. The best part is our kids love it. I don't have to sneak it into anything. In fact, they ask for it! About a month ago, I made a vegetable soup. It turned out really well. I came across a recipe online that added quinoa to the soup and thought it would be perfect! I tweaked the recipe to my liking...and so can you. It's easy and tastes delicious! The best part about soup is it lasts for 2-3 days which means you can cut out a few days of cooking and spending at the grocery store.

Recipe and pics are below. Enjoy!

You need 1 cup of quinoa for every 2 cups of water. 1 cup worked fine for us. 

Cook it ahead of time according to the package. Set aside. 

Diced carrots, celery, onions and minced garlic.

(3 carrots, 2 celery, a whole onion and 2 cloves of garlic)

Sauteed in olive oil. Enough to coat the bottom well.

Oh yes, forgot I had a squash in my fridge! 

Saute all of the above veggies until they are semi-tender. I like my veggies with a bite, not mushy.

1 cup of shredded cabbage (about a half a head) 

This was my favorite ingredient. It really made the final product come to life!

The recipe called for chicken broth, but I used organic vegetable broth instead. 

Found this brand at Meijer. 32 oz.

In goes the can of diced tomatoes! (One 15 oz can) Or, you could dice up some yourself :-)

Add the vegetable broth, cabbage, tomatoes and quinoa. 

I also added a few cups of water though this is not necessary.

Season with 2 tbsp of cumin and chili powder. 

Stir, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes to allow everything to mix and marinate well.

You may add additional seasonings to your taste. 

I also added some fresh cilantro at the end...because I love cilantro.

Now, EAT! I added some red pepper flakes to my bowl to give it some heat!

Again, the bones of the meal were taken from this recipe. I turned it into a soup instead of a chili by nixing the beans and using the vegetables of my choice. This lasted my family of 5 for 2 1/2 days (twice for dinner and a lunch) Enjoy!