RED LENTIL QUINOA SOUP - Andes Style

Our family took a vacation of a lifetime - we went to Ecuador and the Galapagos.   Two nights we stayed at an amazing place in the Andes called Hacienda Zuleta  where they made their meals from their own organic garden.  One evening we were served a Quinoa Soup as a starter.  In their culture they serve a thin type of salsa at the table to add to the flavor of their dishes called  aji.  We found ourselves adding aji willy nilly and it made everything taste better.  You can add your own version of aji by adding your favorite spicy condiment.

This soup was inspired by our experience.  I added the red lentils for added texture and protein.  My soup most definitely can be tweaked many different ways depending on what veggies you have in your fridge.

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 onion diced small

3-4 stalks celery diced small

2-3 cloves garlic minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced

2-3 medium tomatoes diced

4-5 cups water

1 bouillon cube (optional)

1 cup red lentils

1 cup quinoa

1 can coconut milk

1 cup fresh cilantro loosely packed (chop the leaves and the stems separately)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Hot sauce or salsa optional

In a large stock pot sauté the onion, celery, garlic and ginger with the olive oil for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.  Add the tomatoes and sauté for a couple minutes. 

Add the water, bouillon cube, red lentils and quinoa and chopped cilantro leaves .  Simmer covered for about 15 minutes.  Add the cilantro leaves and the coconut milk.  Season to your taste.  You may also want to add a little bit more water depending on how thick you like your soup.



We hiked and biked our way through the Andes.



Banana delivery




Our group on our most amazing adventure through Ecuador and the Galapapos.



CREAMY YELLOW SUMMER SQUASH SOUP

My first box of vegetables arrived this week.  This is my third year of signing up for a weekly box of local vegetables at Green Cay and every week it seems like Christmas.  I have beautiful, fresh vegetables and endless possibilities.  Some of what was in our box included 6 summer squash, baby bok choy, fresh lettuce and a huge bag of basil.  I immediately set to work and blended fresh pesto with the basil, fresh spinach, pine nuts and walnuts (see previous post on pesto).  I divided the batch into 4 containers; froze three and used one container right away with a bowl of whole wheat pasta.  This time I added juice of a whole lemon and it just made the pasta zing.  Try it sometime.

Meanwhile, I really wanted to use some of the summer squash and I didn’t want to cook the first thing that came to mind – a stir fry with quinoa or pasta.  I also had some garbanzo beans and leeks which had me thinking about soup.  The lemon juice at the end really brought out the flavors.  Are you seeing a trend?  Yes, I am on a lemon kick.  We always have lemons or limes in the house.  Living in Florida, you would think we could just go pick them off the tree, but we don’t and can’t - something to do with a fruit fly invasion.  Oh well.  (Sometimes we have mangos falling from the neighbor’s trees and when they do, that really makes me happy.)

Ingredients:

1 onion chopped

2 leeks cleaned and white portion sliced thin

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 yellow squash chopped

1 can coconut milk

1 vegetable bouillon cube

2 cups water

1 ½ cups cooked garbanzo beans or 1 15 oz. can drained and rinsed

½ cup parsley roughly chopped

1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin (see previous post on cumin)

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice of ½ a lemon

Garnish with fresh made croutons*

Sauté the onion and leeks with the olive oil in a large stock pot.  Cook until translucent - about 5 minutes.  Add the squash and cook for about 5 minutes more.

Mix in the coconut milk, the water and the vegetable bouillon cube and simmer with the lid slightly ajar for 10-15 minutes.  Add the spices, herbs and beans and cook for about one minute.  Let the soup cool slightly.

Use an immersion blender to cream some of the squash and beans.  I like to leave it chunky so I don’t puree it very much.  Add the lemon and adjust seasonings.  Add the croutons just before serving.

*To make croutons: preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Cube some “day old bread” and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Toast in oven until crispy and brown (about 5-10 minutes).

Cucumber Avocado Soup

Beth should get first billing for this soup because she inspired me when she whipped up something similar for a picnic this summer.  She served her soup in colorful martini glasses which made it super fun on top of being super tasty.

This past Labor Day Weekend Tom, Madison and I scoured NYC for great vegan food and not totally surprising to us Pure Food and Wine knocked our socks off.  It is a raw-vegan restaurant that I had heard about but I didn't think much of it until my carnivore friend, Marsha was raving about it.  If a big beef eater can rave about a raw-vegan restaurant it really must be good.  We concur with Marsha!  It really is WOW.  We just tried another raw-vegan food restaurant in Palm Beach Gardens, Christopher's Kitchen  and we were WOWED again!  Madison and I found out that this raw food restaurant owner cut his teeth at Pure Food in NYC.  We think the food is better here in Florida though.  Both are GREAT and worth a try.

This soup is also raw and if you wanted to add a bit of protein I would suggest adding some hummus and a bit more coconut milk.   Another idea is to soak raw cashews and blend them into the soup.  I think you can add or subtract as you see fit.

Cucumber Soup Recipe:

1 English cucumber
1 avocado
1/2 can coconut milk, light
1/3 cup sweet onion
1 lime, juiced
1 - 2 cloves garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Rough chop your cucumber, avocado, onion and garlic.  Place the garlic in the food processor first so it is chopped fine.  Add the onion and scrape down the sides.  Repeat until the onion and garlic is in very small pieces.  Add the cucumber and avocado and continue with the food processor until it is soupy.  Add the coconut milk, lime juice and salt and pepper.  Adjust seasoning to your liking.  Makes 4 starter portions.