Easy Savory Winter Vegetable Stew with Quinoa

  This is a really tasty vegetable stew, that thanks to quinoa, has a complete protein but no gluten or cholesterol. I am a big pepper fan so you can adjust downward if you don't like that taste, but you can live off this for days and not need any other protein. It's very simple to make and throw into the crock pot to cook overnight. I work hard, so the fewer steps preparing meals the happier I am. It is especially good to know it's a healthy meal, low calorie, and tastes like you slaved for days over it.
  If you are gluten intolerant, rice crisps add a nice crunch as a side dish. My friends like to garnish it with cheese or a bit of sour cream, both delicious if you aren't vegan. The quinoa, I can't say enough good about. It can be made as a side dish, with broth instead of water and mixed with stir fry. Am trying to finesse more recipes this winter, when the crock pot is always going. This is my particular favorite veggie mix.
  TIP:  chopping or dicing the veggies is important--- your spoon should pick up lots of different tastes, as opposed to one big mouthful of potato or turnip. Mixing those finely chopped ingredients means a different mix with every spoonful, and makes this so nice to eat. It's not boring mouthful to mouthful. Lots of us forget the more old fashioned turnip or rutabaga, both of which are nutritious and tasty in soup. For any of you with sugar issues, use less potato or none at all. It will still taste good.

Step 1 What You Need

*a gallon size crock pot
*2 boxes organic vegetable broth
*2 onions, diced a (chopped up leek is mixed in, too)
*2 boxes of crushed or chopped tomatoes
*2 potatoes, chopped into half inch cubes
*2 carrots, diced
*one large turnip, chopped into half inch cubes
*about a half cup of diced rutabaga
*fresh dill, about three tablespoons chopped up
*fresh parsley, about four tablespoons chopped up
*a few stalks of celery, chopped finely (I pulled off three, but ate one with some peanut butter)
*black pepper, one tbsp.
*paprika, one tsp.
*1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (vegans can skip this)
*garlic, 3 cloves minced, or 1tsp. powdered
*Salt (I used a tbsp. of pink Hawaiian sea salt but any will be fine)
*one cup pre-washed red quinoa (put in last)
*garnishes: grated cheddar or sour cream, and any sort of cracker compliments the stew

Comments

[enigmaticfille]

Is there anything i can use instead of the quoina? I can't get that in India....

[tkjtkj]

what is quinoa ?

[tesseliot]

HI! Quinoa (pronounced keen'-wah) is a grain from South America that was developed by the Inca.  It is the only grain in the world that has all the amino acids that make up a complete protein. It was always rare for so long because the plant makes it's own soapy pesticide and must be washed before cooking. With technology, prewashing the quinoa is easy and now many places are starting to grow it. The grain is very small, comes in a tan, black or red color, and tastes nutty by itself. I love the taste of it, and it has helped me knock major fat out of my diet. In stores, you get about 3 cups of pre-washed quinoa for between $8-$10, but I found a good price at about $5 a pound at nutsonline.com. A five pound bag lasts months. My brother loves it in a cold salad, which is a complete protein lunch. It has become a major staple in my diet now. Haven't tried any of the sweet breakfast cereal recipes yet.

[nitepagn]

You lost me when you got to the turnip and rutabaga. I would like to try it with other veggies, such as green beans, corn, maybe lima beans, zucchini, etc.

[tesseliot]

Hi! There is only a small amount of turnip and rutabaga and they actually taste pretty good in this mix. But the basic stock and quinoa fit with lots of different vegetables. Corn and lima beans would boost the protein in this soup a lot.

[ChrysN]

This sounds wonderful, I can't wait to try it!

[tesseliot]

I think you will like it--it is very savory and just doesn't taste like it's missing anything. The quinoa really thickens it beautifully. I think my favorite garnish is actually a dollop of sour cream, which I tried after the cheese. I really like the kick of the pepper, and have heard from several friends that cayenne might be a nice addition or chili powder. Am so glad that I was introduced to quinoa. It's just wonderful.