Broccoli Quinoa Soup

Every time I make this soup, I am amazed at how the kids absolute devour it.  Because of that, I felt I just had to share it.  Maybe everyone else out there already knows about this kind of soup recipe and I've been living under a rock, but if this post reaches just one other mom desperate to get as many vegetables into their kids as possible, it will be worth it!  I made this soup out of a desire to not waste food and money and get good quality servings of vegetables into the little monsters.

The main ingredients of this soup are:  broccoli, onion, quinoa and water.  That's it. 

What I do:

• Cook 1/2 cup of quinoa in a small pot.
• Chop up broccoli--I use mainly stems and save the florets for salads or a stir fry.
• In a large pot, put the broccoli with just enough water to cover it.
• Let water come to a boil, then when it has cooked for a few minutes, add a chopped onion.
• Then add anything else that is white or green--peas, beans, spinach, cauliflower, greens, whatever is taking up space in the fridge and won't last another day.
• You can add potatoes or green lentils, just be sure to start them cooking before putting the broccoli in as they take longer.
• When everything is cooked just enough to be pureed, get out the blender and whiz it all up.
• Add the cooked quinoa and stir through.

Serve with some grated cheese on top and stir through some diced bread pieces if the soup is too runny--this works great for little ones who need a thicker consistency to keep the soup on their little spoons and is a perfect way to use up the end peices of a loaf of bread.  The trick is to not use too much water in this soup--it will taste too watery or you will end up pouring some water away which has nutrients from the vegetables.  I also don't leave the soup to cook forever--just enough to soften the veggies to puree, maybe ten minutes.  I don't even bother with stock--you can add chicken or vegetable stock if you want, but I find an onion and a dash of sea salt works just as well.

What I love about this soup is I can pack so many different types of vegetables into it, whatever is hanging around the fridge, and the added quinoa gives it a healthy, protein-packed boost.  It keeps for a few days in the fridge or longer in the freezer.  I've even taken it to the park cold and the kids gobbled it up.  Go figure!

And happy soup making!