I've been known in the past to have what my friends and family call "Shiny Things Syndrome." I can be in the middle of a conversation or on my way to another room to do something and all of the sudden something "shiny" will catch my eye and the next you know I'm lost in the conversation or have completely forgotten what I was trying to do. What can I say, I can be easily distracted.
That's exactly what happened a few weeks ago after I read a post on Branny Boils Over. She's hosting a blogging event called the "Souper Bowl" and for every entry she will be donating $1.00 to the ASPCA. All you have to do is dedicate a post to a pet and share a recipe for soup. Sounds perfect for me! I love soup. I love my cats. I had a minestrone recipe just begging to be made. Then I posted my soup.... and realized about a day later that I just shared my entry for the Souper Bowl without actually making it an entry. DOH!
Then I found this recipe on Nicole's blog and fell in love. Soup for me. Dedication to my cats. Post for the Souper Bowl. Win, win, win!
I love everything about this soup. Nicole said she wasn't sure if she would like it but tried it anyway and liked it a lot. I, on the other hand, knew I would love this soup at first glance. The only thing that surprised me was the fact that I didn't have to de-veganize it by adding sour cream and cheese. Of course I added a little cheese to one bowl. But I quickly found that it just wasn't needed. There is flavor jam packed into every square inch of this soup and I love it. Did I say that already?
So in honor of both of my beautiful cats (who have to fly home to Ohio for the next couple of months while I'm in China, SO SAD!!!!!!!) I bring you Quinoa Mexican Soup.
Bigun
TiffanyIngredients
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 poblano pepper, cut in half, seeds removed
1 red bell pepper, cut in half, seeds removed
1 jalapeno, cut in half and seeds removed
1 cup dry quinoa
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 bay leaves
pinch ground cinnamon
1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 lime, cut into wedges (I forgot the lime!)
Directions
Turn your oven to broil, the high temperature if you have the option. Lay the poblano, red pepper and jalapeno skin side up on a baking sheet. Broil for 4-5 minutes, keeping an eye on them to make sure they don't burn, but just the skin chars. When the outsides are charred carefully remove from oven and place in a ziploc bag and let steam. Peel and dice the peppers.
In a stock pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and let cook for 4-5 minutes or until they just start to stick to the bottom of the pot. Deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth. Cook again for another 3-4 minutes and deglaze again with more vegetable broth. Repeat this process 3 or 4 more times until the onions have caramelized and are dark golden brown with a slightly sweet taste.
While the onions are caramelizing, cook the quinoa according to the package.
When the onions are caramelized, add the rest of the broth, fire roasted tomatoes, poblano pepper, jalapeno, bell pepper, and seasonings. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, add the quinoa and stir.
Serve with fresh cut avocado and lime wedges (if you don't forget them like me).
Source: As seen on Prevention, RD originally from Virtually Vegan Mama