Vegetable, Bean & Quinoa Soup

I've been on the road all week and tomorrow heading out for a 4 day vacay for the Okanagan Wine Festival!  So excited!  Needless to say, I have a billion things to do tonight (we're aiming to leave by 5:30am tomorrow!!) but I still feel like I need to do a quick post about the lovely soup I made tonight. 

I had received a complimentary copy of Chatelaine Magazine (they tell me that with a year's subscription, I can enjoy a free watch - whatever) they showed a recipe for Hearty Quinoa & Bean Soup.  Their recipe is vegan, so if you're interested, check it out - I switched it up a bit, so here's my non-vegan version:

Vegetable, Bean & Quinoa Soup
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced carrot
3 ripe tomatoes, pulsed through the food processor a few times
1 cup diced zucchini
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 red chilli pepper
1/3 cup dry quinoa
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup navy beans from a can, rinsed (freeze the rest for a another time)
2 cups spinach
salt & pepper to taste

Method:
In a large saucepan, head olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add carrot, garlic, cumin, coriander,salt, pepper, chilli pepper & quinoa.  Cook for another 2 more minutes - you'll smell the quinoa give off a nutty smell.  Pour in the chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and add zucchini.  Simmer, partially covered, until the quinoa is cooked - about 15 minutes. 

Stir in the beans and the spinach and heat thru (about 2 more minutes).  Taste to see if you need more seasoning - top with a bit of shaved parmesan and serve immediately.

This was a super quick and filling dinner!  Stay tuned for some adventures from Wine Country!!