Potato Soup & Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Our dinner yesterday was a very satisfying meal and it pleased me no end that the kids couldn't get enough of the soup. Even though it was a tad spicy by their standards they still slurped it up once i topped their bowls with a bit of parmesan cheese and kept asking for more.

I just played off of my Broccoli Soup recipe with some tweaks and it worked  - the potatoes add a smoothness and creaminess that is unbeatabale :) 



POTATO SOUP



Ingredients:
Medium Russet Potatoes - 3, washed, peeled and diced into small cubes
Medium Yellow Onions - half, peeled and chopped 
Carrot - 1 medium, chopped into small cubes
Celery Stalks - 2, chopped into small cubes
Broccoli florets - half cup, chopped (I used frozen ones that have been defrosted)
Flour - 1 tbsp
Milk - half cup
Vegetable Broth - 4 cups (I used  4 cups water + 1 tsp better than bouillon)
Salt - 1/4 tsp, or to taste
Red Chilli Flakes - half tsp, or to taste 
Dried Rosemary - 1/4 tsp (optional) 
Cracked black pepper - to taste
Extra Virgin Olive - 1 tbsp

Method:
1) Heat oil in a deep pot and toss in onions, carrot, celery & broccoli stalks and saute for a few minutes. 
2) Add in the diced potatoes and continue to stir - add some salt, red chilli flakes and rosemary at this point. 
3) Pour in the broth and allow this to cook on medium for about 10-15 minutes... 
4) Mix the flour with the milk until there are no lumps and add to the soup pot and allow to cook for another 10 minutes or so. 
5) You could puree the whole thing using an immersion blender... but i scoooped out slightly more than half of the soup and blended it (I used a Blendtec - make sure you are careful when blending hot liquids, some blenders need slightly cooled ingredients, else they can splash out) . 
6) Return the blended ingredients back to the soup pot, adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) and stir for a few more minutes.

Tasty, creamy potato soup is ready to serve. For kids, you may want to top with some cheese (parmesan or cheddar would go great).

As for the salad, it's as simple as tossing together some cooked quinoa, black beans and some veggies with a lemon-olive oil dressing.  The sweet mini peppers add a wonder burst of colors... i think some fruit could also be added... avocado or oranges would go great.

BLACK BEAN QUINOA SALAD

Ingredients:
Quinoa - 3/4 cup, washed
Water - 1.5 cups
Black beans - 1 can, drained and rinsed completely
Cucumber - half, chopped
Tomatoes - 2/3 cup, chopped (I used grape tomatoes), for normal tomatoes de-seed them.
Sweet Mini Peppers (or any bell peppers of choice) - 4, chopped
Salt - to taste
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice from half of a big lemon
Cracked black pepper - to taste

Method:
1) In a small pot add washed quinoa with double the quantity of water, add some salt and allow it to come to a boil. Cover and allow to simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. 
2) Toss the hot quinoa with the black beans (helps cool it down)
3) Meanwhile combine the chopped veggies (and fruit, if using) in a large bowl. 
4) Whisk together Olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to make dressing. 
5) To the veggies, add in the black beans and quinoa, pour dressing and toss together. Salad is ready to serve.