Before we get to this incredible soup, there are a couple things I need to get off my chest.
1) Eric and I have lots of nicknames for each other. Two of our favourites are: ‘Pinky’ and ‘The Brain’.
Remember that show?
Depending on the day, we fight over who is Pinky and who is The Brain.
2) When we are trying to decide what to do at night or on the weekends you can often hear us say to one another,
‘Gee Brain, what do you want to do tonight?’
‘The same thing we do every night Pinky, try to take over the world! muhuauha’
3) We also have a special voice just for Sketchie. You may have heard it at the very end of the video on Sunday.
Eric said (in Sketchie’s squeaky voice), ‘Not impressed’.
We are totally normal.
Last night, Eric said I could be ‘The Brain’ because I whipped up this amazing soup.
I turned Eric, a former non-soup lover, into a soup lover in just over 10 years.
Never say never… ;)
Holiday Soup For The Soul
This is hands down one of my all time favourite soups! Not only does it look festive just in time for the holidays, but it tastes incredible and warms the soul. It packs a wide array of seasonings and spices from cinnamon, nutmeg, and vegetable bouillon, to the saffron and curry. Somehow it just all works together magically!
Inspired by Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup red quinoa, uncooked
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube (not low sodium)
- 6 cups water, boiled
- One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1.5-2 cups cooked black beans (about one 15oz can)
- 1 tsp good-quality curry powder
- Pinch or two of cinnamon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves, well rinsed and roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Pinch of saffron threads (optional, but tasted amazing)
Directions: Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the chopped sweet onion and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the chopped carrots, chopped zucchini, and minced garlic, and continue to sauté for about 5-7 minutes.
Place your bouillon cube into a medium sized bowl. Boil 6 cups of water and pour over the bouillon cube. Stir well to dissolve. Add bouillon mixture, tomatoes, red quinoa, black beans, and spices + seasonings. Bring to a boil and then simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the roughly chopped spinach, stir well, and cover. Simmer on low for about 15-35 minutes. The longer you cook it the more the flavours will develop. Taste test and adjust seasonings if necessary. I also have a feeling this soup will be even better the next day! Garnish with nuts of choice if preferred.
Makes about 8-10 cups.
Gather up the troops!
This recipe requires a bit of leg work, but the outcome is so worth it!
It took me about 30-40 minutes to prepare (plus cooking time) and that was including my photography, so perhaps a bit less time for you. ;)
These ingredients will keep any seasonal cold at bay!
I really enjoyed the zucchini in this soup. You can add in any veggies you want though.
Chop the onions, carrots, and zucchini…
Caramelize the sweet onion in the olive oil.
Add veggies.
Add everything else…diced tomato, spices, bouillon mixture, quinoa, etc.
I also decided to add a pinch of saffron threads!
I was so glad I did because the saffron tastes amazing in this soup. It is optional though, so not to worry if you don’t have any.
Simmer for about 20-30 minutes or so.
Garnish with toasted nuts if desired.
Serve in a huge bowl.
Eric said, ‘This is the best soup I have ever tasted!’
This soup is not only festive looking, but it is packed with nutrients, extremely flavourful, and perfect for cold and flu season.
I must go now. A chilly outdoor run followed by hot holiday soup awaits me… :)
Ok spill the beans. Do you have any nicknames for your significant other or is there a nickname that your friends or family call you?
We also call each other ‘Snoops’ and ‘Babe’, among other things. ;) I also used to call Eric ‘Snitzlefritz’ and he HATED it, so now I only call him that when I want to annoy him. So about 6 times a day.
Please tell me we are not alone. I will sleep better at night.
Do you post on Tumblr.com? If so I would love to follow you there.
I have this soup on the stove right now.. my house smells amazing : )
It’s a rainy day in florida and on my way home I stopped at the store, bought myself a nice soup pot with this recipe in mine…
you’ve done it again
I made this soup tonight, and it was my first recipe of yours that I’ve made… and you are my hero! I can’t wait to make more of your yummies. :) This is so delicious, and has helped me conquer my fear of making soups. I can’t wait to have this on hand in my freezer for quick, hot meals this winter! Thank you!
I made this soup last night for my family — it was easy to make and soooo delicious! I doubled it (we have 5 in our family) and also used vegetable stock. We added Daiya cheese to our bowls as a garnish — oh holy yum, that just made it even better! Have you heard of that cheese? It’s dairy free and soy free.
This soup is delicious! I just made a batch to have on hand when we get back from traveling for Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for sharing!
yay!!
I just made this soup last night for dinner…yet another delicious recipe Angela – even my husband who is a devoted meat eater loved it!!
I just made this soup last night for dinner…yet another delicious recipe Angela – even my husband who is a devoted meat eater loved it!!
Going to make this soup tomorrow for part of our Thanksgiving dinner, but I forgot to buy Quinoa. Do you think Orzo might work?
I am making this tonight but I can not find any vegetable bouillon.. How much water/veggie broth do you think I should use in place?
I just made this soup, but used kale instead of spinach, and OMG!! It’s one of the most incredible and heart-warming soups I’ve ever had. Truly holiday soup for the soul. Thank you for sharing it with us!!
My boyfriend calls me babe and jellybean. I use to call him Radar… I actually met him by that name. He drives a boat for a living and all the guys have a “handle” that they use to talk to each other on the radio. It took a few months before I knew his real name, but that was before we were together. I don’t really have any nicknames for him now.
I made your soup for dinner tonight. Sick to the ribs yum! And made enough for a few days of lunches.
Thanks Angie!
Just made this soup again for the 3rd time ha ha! :)
Didn’t have any quinoa on hand tho so I used mini whole wheat macaroni noodles :) Yumm!!
I just made this and posted my adaptation on my blog. So delicoius! Good luck in Project Food Blog, you received one of my three votes for the current round :)
That soup looks amazing!
I’m going away for a few days this weekend, so I made a big pot of this for my Fiance to have while I’m gone. It turned out great! I went heavy on the spices, and think I might add a potato or some kind of starch to bulk it up a little more next time… but there will definitely be a next time! Loved how quickly it came together, too. :)
I’m curious why you dissolve buillion in water for this recipe rather than just using vegetable broth. Is there a reason? I usually only use veggie broth in soup recipes.
You can use either :)
Snitzlefritz!!!!! lol omg that made my day!!! I thought me and my husband were bad! heheheh love it! We’re not alone!!!
LOVED the recipe, will try it tonight! Thanks for so many skin-glowing recipes! :)
hahah I just thought to myself “Did I really divulge that on the blog?” Good thing Eric doesn’t know…
Used lentils instead of beans but OMG, it was so good, I could not stop eating it!!
I just made this and reposted. It was DELICIOUS. Thank you!
http://ahappylass.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/tasty-tuesday-winter-soup/
Well, I’m only two years late in commenting on this, but why not? I made this soup tonight and it was lovely. I used homemade vegetable stock (3 cups stock/2 cups water), regular quinoa, and collard greens instead of spinach…and I…err…misread the instructions and put in a Tbsp of curry powder instead of a tsp, but it still came out great. Very flavorful. First time I’ve used quinoa but definitely not the last! (And you also got me to try red lentils with your spiced red lentil, tomato and kale soup, which we loved.)
It’s so funny to read how many other peole come up with lots of nicknames and voices for their pets. I thought we were just weird! (And we probably are…there are just a lot more of us than I thought!)
Made this soup for Christmas Eve and my meat-loving brother couldn’t get enough of it. He went back for thirds and now that it’s gone, still won’t stop talking about the soup. Thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was a keeper. Great flavor and a wonderful meal on a rainy fall day.
Made this today! Didn’t have carrot or courgette so used broccoli and sweet potato instead. Very delicious, now definitely a favourite soup!
Made this for my wife and I last night… holy mackerel!! Hands down one of the best soups I’ve ever tasted; this one is going in the recipe book. I adhered to the recipe for the most part, however, I doubled the curry, olive oil, and garlic :)
Thank you and happy souping!!
so glad you enjoyed the soup!
This soup is absolutely delicious! Super simple, yet packed with flavor. I didn’t have any saffron or zucchini, so I substituted it for english cucumber. Thank you for the recipe (:
Wow, the flavors are out of the world !!! Super kind warm down to earth flavors. Just like the name!
I made this for Thanksgiving tomorrow, but I don’t know if there any left….for tomorrow.
Thank you for shearing recipe.
Mahalo
I made this and it was delicious! The flavor definitely improved on the 2nd day. I didn’t have a bouillon cube so I used 4 cups of low sodium vegetable broth and 2 cups water and it worked out alright for me. Next time, I will try to track down saffron to enhance the flavor even more!
This recipe sounds delicious! It’s getting cold, so time to pull out the soups!
Ok, we live in central Texas, but it DOES get cold here a few days out of the year!!!
Nicknames: When he wants to crack me up, my husband calls me “Babycakes” with the eyebrow, and that fake alluring, “don’t you think I’m sexy voice”…long story, and I am dating myself…Look up the old Highland’s Russian Sub commercial on U-tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kKQcZYTZVmI
First of all, I absolutely love your website. You have truly inspired a passion for cooking in me. You make cooking way more interesting and fun for me. This is one of my favorite recipes. I have made it several times and love it more every time I make it. I just started a blog, you tube channel and instagram profile about life and transitioning to a completely natural, organic and healthy lifestyle. I wanted to know if I could mention your recipes and a link to your website every time I refer you in my blog and youtube channel.
Sure, that’s fine by me. The only thing I ask is that the recipes are not re-posted off my site. Thank you so much for your sweet words! I can’t wait to see your videos. xo
Thank you so much! I can’t wait until your cookbook comes out.
Made this (or a version of this) tonight for dinner. AMAZING. This will be a keeper, for sure.
tastebudimpaired.blogspot.com/2014/02/soup-its-whats-for-dinner.html
Wonderful soup…made it last night and we gobbled it up:) Do you have a calorie count for this soup?
I’m going to make this soup tonight!
My girlfriend calls me “puddin’ stick”
no idea where that came from!?
I call her tutu.
This is the most delicious soup I have ever made. The combo of sweet and savory spices is warm and wonderful. I followed the recipe to the letter except I added three cups of chopped baby spinach instead of two at the end, and I did not have saffron. This is hands down AMAZING!!
I made this soup tonight and it was awesome!! I did make a couple modifications to the recipie: I added a large tub of steamed chopped spinach (instead of 2 cups), I added 28 oz of chopped canned tomatoes (instead of 15 oz), added 2 cans of Black beans (vs. 1), added the juice from on lemon and some chopped cilantro. Definatley will be making this again! Thanks for the inspiration!!
I doubled this recipe and it still wasn’t enough. It was that delicious. I am so thankful for your website. This is definitely a 5 star recipe.
This is the best soup I have ever had. Thank you so so much for sharing your recipe! I made this the first time for Thanksgiving last year. My first Thanksgiving being vegan. I added way more curry and more cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to taste. I could not get over how good this soup is. My family, who assumed anything I brought to Thanksgiving could not possibly taste good, was very hesitant to try it. Once they did, the whole batch of soup disappeared. I make this soup all of the time, have shared it with all of my friends, people at work, and everyone that has tried it loves it and I’ve passed your recipe on to so many people. You’ve helped me show my non-vegan family and friends how amazingly good vegan food can taste. THANK YOU!!
Just made this soup because I had a rich food weekend and needed to detox. I tweaked the spices a little because I’m out of curry but OH MY GOD THIS IS THE BEST VEGETABLE SOUP I’VE EVER MADE. HANDS DOWN.
That is all.
Oh, I love this soup! I like to spice it up a bit with Tabasco Chipotle sauce… hmmm!
Thanks for putting it up here! :)
This looks great ! We are getting into “soup season” here (well since I love soup I can eat it any time, any weather) and will put it on my list .
Mr. Cawfee is called “Punkin Pants” by me and I am “Honey” and “Baby”. He called me these names when we first met and I thought it was because he couldn’t remember my name. Fast forward—–married 20 years.
I absolutely love this soup. We enjoy making it on extra cold days! It has the most beautiful broth with layers of delicious savory flavor.
I’m making this right now and it smells so good!! I can’t wait to taste it! Thank you for always being an inspiration to eat foods that make you GLOW! :) I’ve been following you for years and am so happy for your success!
Aw, thanks so much for the kind words, Hilary! I hope you enjoy the soup. :)
Hi, This recipe looks delicious. One question–would it work to use vegetable broth rather than the boullion cube dissolved in water? Just wondering what difference that would make?
thanks
Hi, what can I use instead of vegetable bouillon cube?
Delicious. I’ve also subbed brown rice for quinoa bth are good!