Snow and Soup.  Snow and soup.  And playing.

It’s been snowing so much lately, and I feel like we have barely left the house.  Scotty must have shovelled 4 feet of snow off our deck today from just the last couple days.

There really is something so humbling and comforting about snow.  Especially on days when its snowed all night, tree tops weighed down, the ground clean and white, no errands needed to be done and no reason to leave the house. The perfect kind of day to spend inside reading books, coloring, playing games, dancing, building forts, having naps, and making soup.

I’ve never been one to make soup before.  Was never very good at it, but the same as everything else, it just take some time and practice to get it right.

The first soup I was really happy with was this Butternut Squash one I made last year.

I am happy to say I am very happy with this one as well. So thick it’s kind of like a stew, you could puree the whole batch or none, but I like having both smooth and chunky textures. Topped with a little grated cheese and some sour cream, yum! It would be really great with some tortilla strips, lime juice and cilantro, but I didn’t have any on hand.. so…  guess that just means I’ll have to make it again.

Next on my soup list is a simple Vegetable Broth. I’ve never made one before, and I’m not sure why, but it’s a staple we have in our house all the time, use in many dishes and it only makes sense I should know how to make it.

Chipotle Black Bean & Sweet Potato Soup

Alternatively you could roast the sweet potato first, then mix in with the soup once the quinoa is cooked.

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Red Onion, diced
1/2 cup Quinoa, rinsed well
1 Medium Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped
About 2 cups Chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
1 19oz can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream or Yogurt, optional
1 Chipotle Pepper, in adobo sauce

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 5-6 minutes. Add quinoa and toast until lightly fragrant, about 4 minutes.  Add garlic, sweet potato, black beans, chipotle pepper and spices. Saute for a minute or two. Pour in broth until just covered, you may need more than 2 cups, bring to a boil.

Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until sweet potato is tender and quinoa is cooked, stirring frequently, about 15-20 minutes.  Add more broth or water if needed.

Transfer half the soup to a blender, and pulse until pureed. Return to pot with remaining soup over low heat. Serve with grated cheese, and yogurt or sour cream.