Warming Up: Broccoli Dal Soup with Red Quinoa

Bowl of Broccoli Dal SoupIn the midst of days and days of skies filled with gray clouds and biting winds, a bright green, flavorful soup was nothing short of a necessity.  Something about cumin and garam masala just says warmth to me – so I went for a red lentil soup loaded with fresh broccoli.  This whips up super fast to address urgent cravings, empty stomachs and cold hands.  I thought the dark red quinoa made a lovely contrast to the rich green of the soup and the cilantro.

Broccoli Dal Soup with Red Quinoa
Serves 4

4 cups broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup red lentils
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
vegetable broth, as necessary for sauteing
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 cups water or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup soy milk
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. garam masala
cilantro, for garnish

Red quinoa, cooked (I made a cup which was enough for 4 servings, plus a little left over for a Quick Quinoa Salad, with no-fat vinaigrette.)

In a large pot, heat about 1/4 cup vegetable broth and saute the onion and garlic until soft.  Let the vegetable broth cook off, then add the cumin, mustard seeds and lentils and stir for a few minutes.  Add the broccoli, water (or broth) and the salt.  Cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until the broccoli is soft.

Using a stick blender (or a blender), lightly puree some of the soup – make it as smooth or leave as chunky as you like.  Return the soup to the stove and add the soy milk, soy sauce, lemon juice, turmeric and garam masala.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Don’t boil the soup as this will cause the soy milk to break up.

Serve!

(Another fantastic recipe from Lauren Ulm at VeganYumYum.  My adjustments are minor: using no oil to cook the veggies, adding garlic, pureeing, adding the quinoa garnish and using twice the amount of broccoli.)

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4 thoughts on “Warming Up: Broccoli Dal Soup with Red Quinoa

  1. tearoomdelights says:

    That looks wonderfully nourishing, just the thing for a cold day. I’ve never cooked quinoa in my life but it looks great!

  2. Richgail Enriquez says:

    Yum! I’ve never had red quinoa before, now I’m very intrigued!

  3. Vegan staples to explore | ASTIG Vegan says:

    [...] Quinoa- Aside from putting it in my “Nilaga” soup, I have yet to discover the many wonders of quinoa in cooking, baking, and I heard it’s good on salads too. Ann Oliverio of An Unrefined Vegan made this wonderful Broccoli Dal Soup with Red Quinoa. [...]

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