Two New Toys (aka foods)

As I was mulling over what to make in my next round of cooking, I stumbled upon a recipe authored by Fat Free Vegan called Pink Bean, Quinoa, and Spinach Soup.  A few days before, I had come home from a grocery trip with M toting along two new ingredients: raspberry vinegar, which I used in this salad and dressing, and pink beans.  Just my luck finding this soup recipe, because I had also been wanting a quinoa dish.  Two birds with one stone.
The beans that I bought were kind of weird, though, because, after only a day of soaking they started sprouting... oh well.  They still tasted fine, although, as M pointed out as we were happily eating our soup, most beans taste pretty similar.  Pink beans, I was happy to see, are very high in protein and fiber.  Yay!
One thing I really love about this soup is the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg, which really give it a sweet flavour, and make it smell excellent.  It really makes a lot, and is quite thick, but not too much so for a summer's day.

I also found that we were out of salad dressing, so I created a new one.  I won't post the recipe, seeing as I really have no clue of how much of everything I used, but it consisted of about a cup of mayo, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, a splash of balsamic vinegar, italian seasonings, and a whole bunch of basil.  It turned out quite good, and M declared it a winner, so I was pleased.  Although it is not the prettiest dressing around.

Pink Bean, Quinoa, and Spinach Soup

 

6 servings

Adapted from Fat Free Vegan

1 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
6 cups water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
14 oz crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons curry powder
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked for 15-20 minutes in 1 cup water
½ cup dried pink beans, soaked and cooked
1 bunch spinach, stemmed and washed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat a large soup kettle sprayed with nonstick spray over high. Saute the onion until tender, then add the carrot and garlic, and sauté for 2-3 more minutes.
2. Add water, bouillon cubes, tomatoes, beans, and spices. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Add the spinach and quinoa and cover. Cook until the spinach is wilted, stirring. Adjust seasonings to taste, and serve.