Quinoa Vegetable Soup

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve under cold running water, rubbing the grains between your fingers until the water runs clear — this removes the natural bitterness of the saponins on the hull.

Finely chop the onion and garlic, peel the carrot and potato and cut into roughly 1.5–2 cm cubes, and dice the tomato small.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the tomato and cumin and cook for another 2 minutes, mashing the tomato with a spatula, until you have a thick, even sauté.

Add the carrot and potato to the sauté, stir and cook for 3–4 minutes to let the vegetables soak up the flavor.

Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add the rinsed quinoa, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the canned corn and canned beans, and cook for another 10–12 minutes, until the quinoa turns translucent with its germ visibly unfurled and the potato is tender.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir in half of the chopped cilantro, simmer for 1 minute and remove the pot from the heat.

Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining fresh cilantro. Serve hot, straight from the stove.