I made a few slight adjustments to the recipe in order to make it mine: I added parsnip and butternut squash plus a little chili powder for some extra spice. You can also substitute low-sodium chicken broth instead of water to turn this into a spicy chicken veggie soup. Ingredients, instructions and pics of my progress below. Enjoy!
Ingredients (Veggies should be chopped into small chunks for the fastest cooking time - think popcorn-sized pieces)
- 1 sweet onion
- 2 celery stalks
- 3 carrots
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (it should cover the bottom of the pot, if not add more)
- 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 2 cups fresh zucchini
- 2 cups green beans - cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 28-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
- 7 cups of water (to start)
- 1 15-oz can of cannellini beans
- 1 15-oz can of chickpeas
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa - rinse first
- 2 cups kale - stems removed
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions
1. Place pot on stove with olive oil, carrots, onion and celery on medium heat. Saute mixture until softened (fork should easily pierce carrots.
2. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute and until garlic begins to color
3. Add the parsnip, squash, bell peppers, zucchini and green beans with turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and water (or chicken broth), raise heat to high and bring to boil.
Lower heat to medium/low and allow soup to gently boil uncovered for 20 minutes.
6. Remove cover, add kale, beans and more water if needed. Bring back to boil and cook for another 5 minutes or unti veggies have reached desired softness.
7. Season to taste: I use turmeric, chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Serve and enjoy!
xo Saranna
*Source: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11146/harvest-minestrone-with-quinoa-kale.html
