Quinoa Vegetable Soup

Hey Ladies!!  I made everyone this soup tonight.  Although it has been a beautiful sunshining day, there was a chill in the air.  You know when you get chilled to the bone and it lingers?  I think we all had some of that goin' on at some point today (I even felt inclined to put my snowboard socks on) which made this a great suppa.  Also I was really craving some vegetables. 

This is also a recipe that you can play with and really make it your own.  I did not use the boullion cube (sparing Roxanne the sodium) and it was still great.  Most likely you will want to add more broth to make it more soup-like.  I did not add it the first go around but I think I will add some for the leftovers as there is no more broth left. 



(Makes approximately 4 quarts)

Ingredients
8 cups vegetable broth
2 cups uncooked quinoa
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small bunch celery, cleaned and sliced
1 small head broccoli, washed and chopped
2 lbs. mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 red onion, diced
2 T garlic powder
2 T onion powder
1 tsp tyme
2 tsp celery seed
1 T majoram
1 T olive oil
1 vegetable bouillon cube

Directions

Step 1 - Saute the onions and mushrooms over low-medium heat in the olive oil until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms have completely wilted.

Step 2 - In a large soup pot (4 quart), combine 8 cups broth, carrots, celery, broccoli, onion/mushroom mixture, bouillon cube and spices.  Bring to a boil.

Step 3 - When the soup is at a full, rolling boil, add the quinoa.

Step 4 - Reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook until the vegetables are soft and the quinoa is transparent.

Step 5 - Add extra vegetable broth as needed to maintain a soupy consistency.  (You may or may not need to do this)

Recipe from thegraciouspantry.com