Cilantro & Quinoa Soup

Quinoa Soup?  YES!  And, this is some delicious soup.  I found the recipe on Palate/Palette/Plate blogspot.  This blogspot recently won a finalist spot in Saveur's 2012 Best Food Blog Awards, so of course the recipes are amazing. In order to make it my own, I added/edited a few things and think my changes made this soup absolutely perfect.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed 

4 cups vegetable stock, plus additional water as needed 

1 large bunch cilantro [yield about 1 cup chopped] 

3 small (or 1 large) red onions, thinly sliced 

4 garlic cloves, minced 

Olive oil

Sea salt 

Black pepper
1 14oz can diced tomatoes, drained (reserve the liquid)

Fresh lime juice, from 1/2 lime 

Ground coriander, to taste 

Pinch cayenne pepper 

To serve: 

Grilled shrimp 

Diced avocado 

Charred corn-off-the-cob 

Fresh cilantro

Freshly cracked black pepper

Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high. Add garlic and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Add sliced red onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. 

Rinse 1 cup quinoa and add it to the pot with the onions and garlic. Stir to coat and cook for a minute or two, until quinoa becomes fragrant and toasted. Add 1 cup cilantro. Add the 4 cups vegetable stock and can of diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until quinoa is cooked. (Add more stock or water if the soup is too thick). Season with salt, freshly cracked black pepper, ground coriander, and a pinch of cayenne. Squeeze in juice from 1/2 lime. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary.  Add reserved tomato liquid if you want that extra flavor.

As broth is simmering, heat a grill or stovetop grill pan on medium-high heat and lightly coat with olive oil.  Season corn on the cob lightly with olive oil, salt, pepper and place on grill for 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until corn is tender. Season shrimp with olive oil, salt, pepper and place on grill for 3 minutes per side.

Serve warm, topped with grilled shrimp, diced avocado, corn-off-the-cob, and more fresh cilantro and black pepper.

[Another variation: Toss in some arugula while the soup is simmering; when the greens are wilted, crack in a few eggs, cover pot, and let them cook until set. Serve with some freshly grated Parmesan.]