Adapted from Vegetarian Times (because I can't leave well enough alone). This a great soup to make when you don't have a ton of time and I promise that both husbands and study partners will like it.
- 3/4 C quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 tsp cumin seed (or more)
- 2 1/2 C of roasted corn (frozen from TJs which requires one whole bag plus some)
- 1/3 of a medium red onion, finely diced
- 1 C fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into bite-size pieces
- 4 C veg broth
- 12 oz can fat free evaporated milk (you can use soy and make this a vegan soup)
- 1 medium bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 chile in adobo sauce, minced
- S&P to taste
In a large sauce pan or dutch oven, toast quinoa and cumin seeds over med-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until it smells toasty and the quinoa takes on a golden color. Set aside and return empty pot to burner. Spray bottom of pot with cooking spray and add the onions, potatoes and corn. Saute until onions become translucent. Pour in veg broth and milk and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa and cumin seeds and return to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low, put on a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add bell pepper and chile and stir. Cover pot and simmer for another 5 minutes or until veg and quinoa are tender. Taste for seasoning and add S&P if desired. At this point, feel free to use your immersion blender (or not) to chowder-ize your soup. I chose not to use mine because I liked how it looked and liked the nubbliness of the corn. Please note that if you use roasted corn, as the soup cooks, the roasted bits make it look like your soup has lots of black specks. If you don't think you'll like the appearance of black specks, then by all means use regular corn. I really liked the smoky taste the roasted corn imparted and the addition of the chile makes it flavorful and a bit spicy. I garnished mine with TJs shredded lite mexican cheese blend with lime wedges on the side.
Serves 6, 235 kcals per serving and 4.2 g fiber. Also, delicious.
