Tomato and White Bean Quinoa Soup

I love soup this time of year and I'm always looking for new recipes.  I generally prefer broth based soups that have lots of vegetables and thought this Tomato and White Bean Quinoa Soup looked interesting.  I'm so glad I tried it because it's now my new favorite soup.  It was rich and hearty, but super healthy and made a huge pot so we had lots of leftovers.  In fact, I think it was more flavorful the next day.

Tomato and White Bean Soup with Quinoa (Adapted from The First Mess)

1 cup dry beans soaked overnight and drained (I used navy beans)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 sprigs thyme, leaves chopped fine
1 sprig rosemary, leaves chopped fine
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 quarts vegetable stock
2 cups diced vegetables (I used zucchini, green beans, and more celery)
1/2 cup quinoa, soaked (or rice or millet or small pasta etc etc)
5 sprigs of parsley, leaves chopped fine
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a big soup pot over medium. Add the onions and cook until they soften up just a bit, about 5 minutes. I kind of like to stew the onion in the oil for a while so that it gets really soft and blends right in with the soup. Add the celery and bay leaf and cook until the celery softens, another 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.


Add the tomato paste and stir continuously until paste is broken up and its flavour is cooked out, about 5-7 minutes. Add the beans and tomatoes and stir to coat in the tomato paste mixture. Add about 1/2 cup of the stock and scrape the bottom of the pot to get any browned bits up. Add the rest of the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer until the beans soften but still have some bite, about 2-3 hours or more.  Add the quinoa and stir.  Cook for 10-15 minutes and serve.  

French Women Don't Get Fat

One of my favorite books is French Women Don't Get Fat and I've reread it every few years just to remind myself of a few important concepts when it comes to food. I love food and have always been a big eater and amaze even my husband and his friends at how much I can consume in one sitting (I'm not sure if I'm proud of this). I grew up with brothers and in a family of big eaters and it's stuck with me over time. So depriving myself and dieting have never been my idea of a good time. However this book has really changed my outlook on diet, weight, healthy eating, and also indulging in what I love to eat. The concept is that there's no quick fix to being healthy, looking great, and feeling comfortable in your body. It's all about making a few small changes that will stick with you throughout your life (eating slowly, enjoying your food, eating without distractions such as television, taking the stairs, using fresh ingredients, etc.) and enjoying the foods that are always off limits for most dieters (chocolate, wine, cheese, bread, etc.). It's about getting in touch with what your body needs and making small changes to accommodate that, but never going without. In this book, the author talks about kick starting this "non-diet" diet by eating her recipe for Leek Soup in order to get all the nutrients you need, but also to see immediate results for instant motivation. Well, this 17 Bean Medley Soup is my version of Mireille Guiliano's Leek Soup. Whenever I feel like I need to eat a bit healthier and get back in touch with my body, I make this soup and have it practically every meal for a few days and I feel better immediately. I use the recipe on the back of the bag and add zucchini and any other vegetables I have in the house and sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese. What are your tricks for staying healthy?