A vegetable and quinoa stew with greens.
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 quart water
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable base (powder)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (chopped)
- 1.5 teaspoon fresh garlic, peeled (diced)
- 1 teaspoon dried chipotle pepper (flaked)
- 1 dash cinnamon (powder)
- 2 dash curry powder
- .5 cup carrot (shredded)
- .75 cup onion (shredded)
- .25 cup celery (shredded)
- .5 cup bell pepper (chopped)
- .25 cup quinoa
- 1.25 cup sweet potato (shredded)
- 1 cup yellow potato (shredded)
- 2 cups kale (chopped)
- 1 cup sorrel greens (chopped)
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1180g)
- Sodium 0 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Clean and shred all veggies.
- Put water in a pot, add soy sauce or liquid aminos (optional), dry spices (except sesame seeds), garlic, ginger, and olive oil. Bring to a boil, add shredded veggies (except kale). Return to a boil, add quinoa.
- Cook low and slow until quinoa is almost done. Prep greens: wash, finely chop kale and sorrel. Add kale to the pot and cook for 10 minutes. Dress sorrel with toasted sesame oil and lemon juice.
- Serve in bowls topped with sorrel salad and garnish with sesame seeds.
Shredding root vegetables creates uniform surface area that allows starches to break down evenly into the broth. Standard dice cuts will not release enough starch to body the liquid during the simmer phase. Sweet potatoes and yellow potatoes must be processed down to match the shred size of the carrots and onions. This uniform sizing ensures every root piece softens simultaneously within the designated cooking window.
Sorrel greens contain high levels of oxalic acid, which supplies a distinct sour note. Raw sorrel dressing demands acid balancing with toasted sesame oil and lemon juice before hitting the hot broth. Layering the kale leaves tightly and executing crosswise cuts produces fine ribbons that soften in ten minutes without turning entirely mushy. Sesame seeds must be toasted lightly beforehand to release essential aromatic oils before final garnishing.
Vegetable soups of this style draw heavily from traditional European stewing methods where root vegetables provide the primary thickening agent rather than roux or heavy cream. Substituting lentils for a portion of the quinoa increases protein density while maintaining a gluten-free profile. Water volume can be adjusted by up to half a cup if a thicker porridge consistency is preferred over a clear broth.
