In honor of the fact that we’re still teetering on the edge of winter one day and spring/summer the next, I thought I’d share a spring-timey (but still comforting) soup recipe with you! I came across this one on Gourmet Traveller and adjusted it slightly for what we had in the kitchen and how many people I was feeding. My younger brother joined Tim and I for dinner and he couldn’t stop raving about how good the soup was – my brother is a man of few words, so I take all his compliments to heart. We enjoyed topping our soup with quinoa, feta (a good addition to pretty much any meal, in my opinion), chopped parsley, mint, and a drizzle of olive oil. To go with this I also made focaccia in our bread machine and baked it in the oven, drizzled with olive oil, rosemary, kosher salt, and parmesan cheese. I’ll have to share that recipe with you soon! Until then, it would be great served with this bread!

Carrot Soup with Quinoa and Feta

Adapted from Gourmet Traveller

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Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb carrots grated
• 1/2 yellow onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2-3 c vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 c quinoa
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar or to taste
• Feta
• Chopped parsley and mint
• Olive oil

Instructions

 

• Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan or stock pot over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until tender.
• Add carrot, spices, and lemon zest, and stir occasionally, 4-5 minutes, or until carrot softens.
• Add 2 c stock and 1 c water, season to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until flavors have combined, 5-10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Set aside when finished.
• Remove soup from heat, add lemon juice and a handful of feta. Using a hand-held blender, process the soup until smooth. At this point you can add the additional cup of chicken or vegetable stock if your soup is too thick. (Instead of using a hand-held blender, you can also use a regular blender. Carefully ladle the soup into the blender, leaving plenty of room at the top so the hot soup doesn't spill over while blending. Process the soup in two or three batches until it's all smooth.) Add vinegar and stir.
• Serve topped with quinoa, feta, herbs, and drizzled with olive oil.
• This is delicious served with focaccia or some other crusty bread as well - I'll give you a good recipe for that soon!