Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Black Bean & Quinoa Soup

With this never-ending winter, the only thing I want to eat lately is soup. A big bowl of warm, hearty soup really hits the spot when it's cold and icy outside.

We are very fond of Mexican style soups, especially ones with plenty of lime and avocado that are best when eaten with a giant pile of tortilla chips. I've made this black bean & quinoa soup several times since finding the original recipe here, and it's quickly becoming a favorite.


Black Bean & Quinoa Soup
Adapted from The Post Punk Kitchen
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes with their juice
1/2 cup quinoa (I used red quinoa)
2 carrots, chopped
2 bay leaves
4 cups vegetable broth or water, divided
14.5 oz can black beans with their liquid
1 cup corn
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Additional toppings:
Avocado
Radish
Cilantro
Lime juice

Directions:
Preheat a 4 qt soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion in olive oil with salt & pepper for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes, quinoa, carrots, bay leaves, and 2 cups of the broth. Cover and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add the other 2 cups of broth, black beans with their liquid, and corn. Cover and bring to a boil, then remove lid and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Add the nutritional yeast and let sit for about 10 minutes so the flavors can blend. Remove the bay leaves and ladle into bowls. Top with lime juice, cilantro, avocado, and radish and dig in.



The additional toppings are optional of course, but what really makes this soup shine is the creamy avocado and lime. The nutritional yeast is optional as well, but I find it adds a nice depth to the soup with a hint of cheesy flavor that makes it even more delicious (you could use Parmesan cheese in place of the nutritional yeast). And you have to scoop up the soup with some tortilla chips! The salty, crispy chips add another layer of texture that takes this soup over the top.

Do you eat a lot of soup in the winter?

~Tammy

48 comments:

  1. That looks delicious. I bet it hits the spot. We are in the middle of yet another snow-storm. It will snow all day today and into the night. Comfort foods are all we want these days. Deb

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  2. You always have the greatest recipes!!!

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  3. I'm really on a quinoa kick lately! This looks delicious and perfect for a cold winter day.

    Thanks for sharing! Pinning this one!
    xoxo

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  4. Great looking recipe,I love black beans :)

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  5. I just bought some quinoa and have been looking for good recipes to use it in! This looks delicious, Tammy - thank you for sharing! I do eat lots of homemade soups, especially when it is cold. xo Karen

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  6. I find quinoa too expensive, so I eat millet instead. It has essentially as much protein AND it's pronounced how it's spelled. About 20% the price too. Used to be used as chicken-feed, till the cold, hard winters (and no more chickens) led to living off the grain. Makes good flour for gluten-free baking too.

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  7. Yummy!!! You amaze me....is there anything you can't do?....:) I wish when I was your age that I had been as "centered" as you are.........it took me much longer to be who I really am. Does that make any sense?...lol. Anyway......great post!

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  8. This sounds like a nice, hearty soup. Perfect for a night like tonite when we're snowed in here in MA.

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  9. We love soup!! This sounds so good and belly warming. :-) I am ready to make this, we are to dip down to -20 again tonight ;-(.
    Thank You for sharing.

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  10. This looks perfect for Winter weather! I love the addition of the avocado and lime. Yum! Oh, and I LOVE cilantro!!!

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  11. Yummy! I just love all your recipes.

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  12. It looks delicious! We eat a lot of soup in the winter for sure! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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  13. This sounds like a must try! I need to get some limes and avocados first though!

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  14. Oh Tammy I practically live on soup these days of winter thank you it sounds delicious. Hug B

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  15. Oh - YUM - I am pinning this one - thanks!

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  16. We don't eat a lot of soup but this one looks really good.

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  17. We love soup. I make a soup a week. Usually on Friday's. That way, I don't have to cook all week. Just heat up the soup.

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  18. Yes, we eat soup often in the winter. I love so many of the ingredients in this black bean soup...beans, avocado, cilantro, cumin, nutritional yeast...it sounds wonderful!

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  19. Oh yes, lots of soup! We eat quinoa a lot as well, but I have yet to add it to a soup! This one looks like the perfect soup to try it in. :)

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  20. You are SO pinned! That looks mighty good and I never thought of adding avocado as a topping.
    I love soup on cool or stormy days. Having a hot pot of soup on the stove from morning until supper makes me want to relish each cold, winter day!

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  21. Yum! It looks delicious. Soup makes a great meal.

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  22. This sounds so delicious! I had quinoa for the first time today, and I really liked it! I am looking forward to trying to cook with it myself, this soup may be the perfect place to start.

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  23. Yum, black bean and quinoa, two of my favs!

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  24. Delicious! Love the black bean and quinoa combination. Can't wait to make this myself.

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  25. This looks Amazing!! We do eat a lot of soup and stick to your ribs chicken dishes.

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  26. Yum ~ looks like just the thing to warm me up on a snowy afternoon !

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  27. yummy,,,,,,,,,,,,delicious............

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  28. I went to a soup swap last SA and one of the soups I came home with was an Incan Stew. Hubby ate all of it. Sounds pretty similar to yours except this one had sweet potato in it (which luckily was in large chunks so itnwas easier to pick out!). I love soup in the winter and since winter just retuned, I made a huge batch of split pea soup. It may have been too big since I'm the only one who likes it.

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  29. Delicious Tammy! I cook with Quinoa all the time and love it. It's versatile and full of protein. This soup is probably filling .. good for my husband!

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  30. Tammy this looks absolutely delicious, and perfect for cold weather.

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  31. Love the idea of a salad, of sorts, on top of a bowl of soup. It looks real tasty!
    Janie x

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  32. I wonder if it would be good with bacon bits topping too?? Asking for a friend.

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  33. This is perfect Tammy! Thanks for sharing we've been looking for a soup recipe that uses beans

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  34. Looks so warming and healthy!

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  35. I love making homemade soups! Thank you for this new recipe. Can't wait to try it!

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  36. I'm with you Tammy!! Love a good bowl of hot soup on a winter's day!! My favorite is black bean soup on the 2nd day!!
    With cut up white onions on top!! Yum, Yum!!
    I should try this --- always love corn for an accent and the quinoa will make it interesting!!
    Cheese - have to have cheese on top too :-}}

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  37. We do eat a lot of soups and stews in the winter too. We also like Mexican style food and just had a big pot of Pork Posole this week. As a matter of fact, I had some of the leftovers for breakfast this morning! ;)

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  38. Oh this looks and sounds amazing! We live on soup not just in winter but all year long. Of course depending on the time of year they do change from savory and heavy to light and fresh. Yum we can't get enough especially since I don't eat meat soup is my go too for packed nutrition. We also love Mexican styled food so I am going to try this. I even have everything on hand already yay :)

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  39. We tend to eat a lot of soups in the winter time. I've never had this variety so will be giving this a try. It does look yummy from the photos. I'll let you know how mine turned out. Thanks for the recipe.

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  40. I love all kinds of soup in the winter. This one sounds yummy too. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Tammy! Have a happy weekend!

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  41. Oh my that looks amazing. You have some of my favorite ingredients in a soup. Thanks for sharing.

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  42. sounds perfect to beat the chills! i love quinoa.

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  43. That looks very warming and perfect for a cold winters day! I have never tried Mexican style soup before and obviously missing out

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  44. I always go for hot chocolate when its cold,but this soup looks promising.

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  45. That soup sounds simply divine and just perfect for this weather. Mexican soup I must admit have never tried. Thank you for sharing your delightful Recipe x

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  46. These photos are awesome, and the tortilla chips with soup look scrumptious!

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