Quinoa, Black Bean & Sweet Potato Soup

Part soup, part stew part nachos. What is not to love. A hearty and nutritious soup with all the amazing flavours of Mexico. Smoked paprika, coriander and black beans. Be flexible with the root veggies you choose to use, you can use pumpkin, sweet potatoes, swede and parsnip.

I love this with some nachos, some extra coriander, spicy yogurt and some sliced avo’s.  You can add a 1/2 cup of frozen corn to the hot soup for extra Mexican vibes.

• 1 large onion diced
• 3 celery sticks, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled & diced
• 5 tomatoes, diced (or 1 can chopped tomatoes)
• 2 cups, root veg, sweet potatoes or pumpkin
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 litre boiling vegetable stock
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 handful fresh coriander, chopped
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Spice Mix

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tspn ground coriander
• 2 tspn ground cumin
• 1 tspn spanish smoked sweet paprika
• pinch chilli flakes
• pinch cinnamon

1. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil on a medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the diced onions, carrots and celery and sautee, with the lid on, for about 10 minutes or until soften.
2. Optional step: add the dried spices to a small frying pan on a medium heat until fragrant, tip into a plate to stop the cooking. (see tip)
3. Add the spices and the garlic and stir until fragrant for about 2 minutes. Add a 1 tspn of salt.
4. Add the fresh tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture look ‘jammy’.
5. Add the chopped vegetables and the boiling stock.
6. Add the quinoa and gently simmer for 15minutes until the veggies are soft and the quinoa is cooked. To know if quinoa is cooked, a little white ‘tail’ is visible.
7. The soup will thicken as it ‘sits’ so do add some more hot stock (1/2 cup) if the stock seem too thick.
8. Add the fresh coriander. (see serving suggestions)