Rainy-Day 13 Bean and Quinoa Soup

The rain poured quite heavily in our little town today.  It was also a bit chilly which was a perfect opportunity to have “rainy day” soup.  This soup is hearty and super healthy.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:

(seves 4-6)

• 3 cups of cooked quinoa
• 3 and a half quarts of water *note: add more water toward the end if you like it more “soupy”
• 1 can of organic coconut milk
• 1/3 lb of Bob’s Red Mill Soup Mix, 13 Bean Soup Mix *I soaked the beans overnight with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice *
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 7 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 2 inches of ginger (peeled)
• Herbamare Original (500g=1.1LB) Brand: Vogel *note: you can buy pre-made herbamare from this link or the health food store, or you can save some money by googling “herbamare recipes” and making it yourself.   You will find many different recipes out there.  I made mine myself, but I didn’t measure (sorry…next time I will ), I just go by taste and it usually tastes similar to other herbamare recipes.

Directions:

1. Cook your quinoa and set aside.
2. Wash your soaked beans.
3. In a large pot, boil 3 and a half quarts of water with your soaked beans, chopped onions, and minced garlic.
4. Let it boil for about 1 hour or until the beans are cooked (stir occasionally).
5. Blend coconut milk with your red bell pepper and ginger in a blender until smooth.  And, you will have a red gingery, coconutty, bell pepper soup.
6. After the beans have cooked, add your coconut-bellpepper-ginger blend.
7. Boil this together for another 20 minutes.
8. Then add your cooked quinoa and herbamare (add herbamare a little bit at a time until you are satisfied with the taste).
9. Simmer for 15 minutes or so.
10. Pour in your favorite soup bowl and enjoy!