Hey friends! Today, I bring you a super simple and delicious hearty quinoa veggie soup. Its super healthy, full of nutrients and both dairy and gluten free. I’ll be honest, I never liked soup growing up. To me, it was extremely boring and seemed to only be eaten when sick. I also was under the misconception that soups were really hard to make which is totally false. Now, I often make soups and I enjoy them at all times of the day and in all seasons. Just because its summer, doesn’t mean you cant enjoy the comfort of a warm bowl of soup!

Total Time: approx. 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3/4 cup rinsed quinoa

5 cups of vegetable stock (Can use bouillon cube and water to substitute)

2 large carrots diced

2 celery stalks diced

1 medium onion diced

6 diced mushrooms

4 garlic cloves finely diced

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 large zucchini diced

1/2 a fresh lemon’s fresh juice

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp onion powder

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

• Add the olive oil to a large pot. Add all the veggies except the cilantro and mushrooms. Saute for 5-8 minutes.
• Add in all the seasonings. Saute another 2 minutes. Then add the quinoa, vegetable stock and bay leaves.
• Season generously with black pepper and salt. If using a bouillon cube then watch how much salt you add to the soup. You can always adjust later.
• Bring the soup to a boil then allow to simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Fifteen minutes into cooking the soup, add in the mushrooms. Check to see if quinoa and veggies are fully cooked after 20 minutes.
• Take out bay leaves before serving and add the fresh lemon juice and cilantro. Serve warm.