Happy Herbivore, Inca Corn Soup, and the Wonders of Quinoa

I love quinoa (pronounced keen-wah.)  It's a wonderful, tasty little grain that is packed with protein.  It's super easy to cook, especially in a rice cooker.  Just toss it in the cooker, one part quinoa and two parts water, press start and walk away.  It is delicious for breakfast topped with some berries and almond milk.  One of my favorite restaurant meals (at the Pomegranate Cafe in Chandler, AZ) was a vegan loaded nacho plate topped with quinoa.  Just the addition of the grain brought the fiber and protein levels of my lunch up to most impressive levels.

It is the food of champions and a must for vegans.  It's pretty too!

I also love the Happy Herbivore cookbooks authored by Lindsey Shay Nixon.  She is so talented.  I have literally never tried anything from her cookbooks that I haven't liked.  I will hopefully be reviewing many of her recipes, so stay tuned.  Lindsey's recipes are not only vegan, but they are free of most oils and added fats.  I'm a big fan of that.  My favorite recipe book of hers so far is this one.  It doesn't hurt that her brand mascot is a happy elephant.

I approve.  

Last night I was paging through my favorite Happy Herbivore cookbook and I came across her Inca Corn Soup.  Quinoa and beans?  Yes please.  I had all the ingredients in my pantry already (something I love about Lindsey's recipes - nothing off the beaten path usually!) and it took less than 15 minutes to prep, beginning to end.  It turned out to be a hearty, thick and creamy soup that was super filling.

Happy Herbivore Inca Corn Soup

¼ cup quinoa
4 ounces green chiles, diced
1 cup non-dairy milk 
2 cups corn
½ cup black beans, cooked 
white pepper 
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

hot sauce for garnish

Cook the quinoa or amaranth in 3/4 cup water for 10-15 minutes (until completely cooked and water has evaporated). Transfer to your blender and add 1 1/2 cups corn, chilis and non-dairy milk and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan, stir in remaining corn and black beans and heat thoroughly. Add white pepper and maple syrup to taste. Serve and garnish with hot sauce.

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A few quick notes.  I recommend going easy on the pepper, unless you like your soup very peppery!  Also, in my picture below I may have added too much hot sauce because I was being artsy.  This resulted in an extremely spicy soup.  Either leave out the hot sauce or just dot it on sparingly.  A little goes a long way with the delicate flavor balance.

It might be even better to serve this on a chilly or snowy day.  It was great for summer, but it's thickness and richness would really hit the spot when the thermometer drops!  John really liked it, though the liberal application of the hot sauce just about killed him.  

We paired it with slices of cold watermelon for a tasty summer dinner.