a couple of weeks ago, we were searching for recipes that used corn and quinoa, as we had an abundance of both on hand. we stumbled across this recipe, and decided it was the perfect fall soup.
instead of relying on cream or dairy to make this soup rich, the recipe calls for cooking and then blending the quinoa and most of the corn together. it turned out to be absolutely delicious – very thick, filling but not heavy, super crunchy with the fresh corn and bell pepper, and it had a spicy kick at the end. now that i’m writing about it, i’m craving another batch. guess i’ll have to put the ingredients on our grocery list for this week!
one year ago: rice pilaf
two years ago: cilantro rice
three years ago: pumpkin bread
four years ago: pizza sauce
corn, quinoa, and red bell pepper soup
yields four servings
borrowed from eating bird food
- 1T butter or oil
- 1c onion, diced
- 1c leek, white parts only sliced
- 1/2c quinoa
- 3c corn, either fresh or frozen
- 2c vegetable broth
- 5 saffron threads, optional
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4t salt
- dash of ground pepper
- 1/4t cayenne pepper
______________________________
- in a medium pan, melt the butter or pour in the oil
- add the onion and leek and saute them until the onion is tender and clear, approximately seven minutes
- add the quinoa and two cups of corn (reserving one cup), cooking for 5 minutes and adding broth to avoid sticking
- add the remaining broth (if you added some in step three, otherwise add all the broth) and saffron threads, and bring to a boil
- reduce the heat, cover the pan, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, until the quinoa is cooked thoroughly
- take the pan off the heat, then use a hand blender or pour into a regular blender to puree the soup
- put the pan back onto low heat, add the last cup of corn, bell pepper, salt, pepper, and cayenne, stirring to combine
- once the soup is hot, serve and enjoy!