This light, delicious, and surprisingly hearty quinoa chowder is from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Each serving is topped with feta cheese, chopped hard-boiled egg, and cilantro!
Ingredients
1cupred or white quinoarinsed well
2tablespoons (30 mL)extra virgin olive oil
2garlic clovesfinely chopped
1jalapeño pepperde-ribbed and seeded, finely diced
1teaspoonground cumin
¾poundYukon gold potatoespeeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
Measure and rinse the quinoa in fine sieve (this removes the outer layer of quinoa, which is bitter and has a ‘soapy’ taste). Combine the rinsed quinoa and 8 cups (2 quarts) water in medium soup pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients.
Once quinoa has simmered for 10 minutes, remove from heat and drain - reserving all of the cooking liquid. The easiest way to do this is to set a fine-meshed sieve over a large soup pot.
In a large clean soup pot, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and jalapeno. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Add cumin, about 1 teaspoon salt, and the chopped potatoes and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently to avoid them sticking to the bottom of the pan and ensuring the garlic does not brown.
Add the reserved quinoa cooking water, half of the chopped scallions, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add cooked quinoa, spinach, and remaining scallions and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. The soup will continue to thicken and come together.
Turn the soup off the heat and stir in crumbled feta cheese and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup, garnishing each serving with a small spoonful of chopped hard-boiled egg.
Tips for Success:
How to Hard Boil An Egg: Combine water and egg in small saucepan. Bring to boil and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove egg from water, place in ice bath, and once cool enough to handle, peel.