Recipe: Bell Pepper, Bean, Corn and Quinoa Soup
I am fan of nutrient dense soups. Not only are they one-pot meals, but they also require less effort to prepare. You basically cut up a bunch of complementary veggies and throw them into a pot. The recipe does the rest.
Bell Pepper, Bean, Corn and Quinoa Soup has all the flavors of a good southwest meal. Ingredients are inexpensive and nutrient dense. We added a special touch by garnishing with some fresh lime, which offsets the sweetness of the corn and bell pepper, and some crunchy (and gluten free) sweet chili quinoa puffs. This recipe is gluten free and vegan.
Ingredients:
1 red pepper, roughly chopped into cubes
1 yellow pepper, roughly chopped into cubes
1 carrot, roughly chopped into cubes
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 ear of fresh corn, cut away from cob
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 can (14 ounces) of canned whole tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) of black beans
3 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 cup of dried quinoa
1 bay leaf
1 tspn of dried oregano
1 tspn of dried basil
1 tsp of whole cumin seeds
1 tbspn of olive oil
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 lime
1 bag of I Heart Keenwah sweet chili quinoa puffs
Begin by sautéing onion, garlic and cumin seeds in olive oil in a soup pot. Once the aromatics are golden, add peppers and carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 mins. Add broth and tomatoes. Bring to boil. Add quinoa and beans. (The broth will thicken as the quinoa starts to cook and get more plump. I also use the trick of reserving 1/2 can of the beans and mashing them with a fork before adding to soup.) Cook soup for 15 minutes. In last 5 minutes of cooking, add spices and fresh corn. Serve with fresh squeezed lime and quinoa puffs as croutons.