Quinoa "Tortilla" Taco Soup with Beef, Black Beans, and Tomatoes

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Fall makes me so nostalgic. From soup to tall boots to Halloween costumes, there is something in it for everyone that reminds us of years past. 

And so, naturally, I'm making the most of it. Bring on the crock pot, my friend.

After the last batch of chili, I've been on a soup kick. It's the easiest way to have a large volume of healthy eats available at a moment's notice.

One of my favorite soups is tortilla soup... minus the tortilla. Basically, I just want a taco in a bowl. Only, the day I was making this, I only had frozen chicken, and a few pounds of lean ground beef were burning a hole in my fridge. So, beef it was! Feel free to sub shredded chicken, if need be!

I also decided to add quinoa to this recipe, to give it some "staying power" and add some fiber. If you can't handle the QUEEN, feel free to sub for couscous or rice. But, really... try the quinoa!

Quinoa Taco Soup with Beef, Black Beans, and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1.5 cups dry quinoa
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 can roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup black beans
• 1lb lean ground beef

Directions:

1. Boil 4 cups chicken stock. Add quinoa, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
2. Brown ground beef in a pan.
3. Add taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, black beans, and cooked ground beef to the pot of chicken stock and quinoa.
4. Cook on low for 3 hours.
5. Add remaining chicken stock and cook for another hour.

Pumpkin & Lentil Soup

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[Recipe 7 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

[Recipe 7 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

When it comes to fall and my toes start to get chilly, soups are a favorite meal. When it comes to soup, lentils are a favorite ingredient. This is for three reasons:

First, the word is particularly fun to say. Lentils. Lentils. Lentils! You get it. 

Second, according to this youtube video, lentils are what Marcel the Shell wears as a hat (really though, if you've got a few minutes, this video will make you smile and you'll be quoting it for months). 

Third, and this is probably the reason you were waiting for, lentils are darn healthy. Instead of adding noodles or rice, which are carb centers, lentils are jam packed with protein and dietary fiber. Add to that a cup of pumpkins, the Vitamin A rock star, and you've got a delicious and good-for-you meal, indeed. Oh, what a wonderful world it is! Now, if only we could have make lentils a bit prettier... 

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:

• 2 cups Lentils
• 4 cups Water
• 1 cup Chicken Broth
• 2 cups Pumpkin Cubes
• 1/4 cup Green Onion
• 1 tablespoon Curry
• 1 tablespoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
• 1/2 Chopped Purple Onion
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Sage
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 pinch Pepper
• 1/4 cup Grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 Tomato

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Peel pumpkin using a potato peeler.
3. Cut about 1 cup of the pumpkin into small cubes, about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch.
4. Toss pumpkin squares with Olive Oil, Sage, Salt, and Pepper.
5. Spread in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside.
6. Meanwhile, on the stove, boil water and add lentils, cumin, curry, cayenne pepper, and garlic salt.
7. After 20 minutes, add chopped purple and sliced green onion, pumpkin cubes, and chicken broth.
8. Cook for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Serve with freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese and a slice of tomato.

[You're Reading Recipe 7 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

[You're Reading Recipe 7 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

Pumpkin Curry Soup

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[Day Two of The Twelve Days of Pumpkin - Keep up with all 12 days!]

Good morning :)

It is cold in Chicago already and half of the city seems to have the "ick" virus - the one where you don't have much of an explanation other than that you feel "ick" -- or "ugh," depending on your pronunciation.

So, in short, Chicago=Cold+Sick. But not me. Not with this soup :)

The colder it gets outside, the more heat this girl wants in her soup. Gotta get warm from the inside too, you know?

This soup reminds me of a butternut squash soup I was once obsessed with. I used to add cayenne pepper to that one to get the kick I like -- definitely not going to need to add any to this baby! The onion and curry really pop and the thickness of the soup makes it feel like a heavy cream based luxury - without actually being cream based (cream based = bad for you).

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients:

• 1/2 Pumpkin
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 1/2 Yellow Onions
• 3 cloves Garlic

• 1/2 tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Curry Powder
• 1/2 tablespoon Cumin
• 2 cups Skim Milk
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 5 cups Cubed Cooked Pumpkin

Cooking Directions:

1. Rinse pumpkin
2. Using a serrated knife, cut the pumpkin in half
3. Using an ice cream scooper, scoop out strings and seeds
4. Cut pumpkin into 6-10 pieces, small enough to fit numerous pieces into a steaming basket.
5. Place in steamer on stovetop. Add water and steam for 15-25 minutes, checking regularly to replace water. Pumpkin is cooked when a toothpick easily pierces its skin.
6. Let cool, then peel or cut skin off and discard.
7. Cube 5 cups worth of pumpkin "meat." Size is not particularly important, as it will all be blended in the end.
8. In a large pot, add butter, onions, and garlic and stir for 5 minutes.
9. Add Chicken Broth, Pumpkin, Curry, Cayenne, and Cumin and cook for 15 minutes.
10. One blender-full at a time, transfer soup to blender and blend, then transfer to a new pot of similar size.
11. In new pot, add milk and additional Curry to taste.
12. Serve. (Optional: Garnish with sour cream, cayenne pepper, and/or basil leaves).

[Day Two of The Twelve Days of Pumpkin - Keep up with all 12 days!]

[Day Two of The Twelve Days of Pumpkin - Keep up with all 12 days!]

Curried Lentil Soup

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I love curry dishes. Especially when they are that perfect combination of heat and sweetness. Thai restaurants blow my mind in this way. Unfortunately, that would also blow my "diet" (before you freak out on me, no, I am not on a 'diet,' per se, but I do try to eat as healthily as possible).  Curry dishes are often so high in sugar and fat (coconut milk should be put in jail for being so horrible but so good at the same time) that they're almost not worth eating.

Until now! <--you knew that was coming, didn't you?

Curried Lentil Soup:

Why it's awesome = lentils are rich in protein (we're talking Bill Gates rich -- err, I mean Steve Jobs -- err, basically just Rich with a C.A.P.I.T.A.L. "R"). They're also Rich in fiber -- which is quite a good thing, indeed.

What You Need:

• 1 cup of dried lentils
• 4 cups of water
• Cumin
• Curry
• Salt
• 1/3 white onion
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese (to be grated)

  
 What You Do:
1. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add lentils.

2. Add 2 teaspoons of Curry, 1 teaspoon of Cumin, and a dash of salt. Reduce to simmer and let sit for 20 minutes.

3. Coarsley chop 1/3 of a white onion (could be anywhere from none to 1/2 depending on personal preference) and add to pot. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Before serving, grate sharp cheddar cheese into bowl on top of soup. 


**This soup save in the fridge very well, as the flavor only intensifies with each day it is left to sit.**