Quinoa Stew with a Gypsy Flair–Eating Gluten and Dairy Free on a Budget.

I don’t know why I have been so soup obsessed lately. Actually, I do know why. We have a cupboard full of dry beans and grains, and I have been on a mission to spend less money on groceries. I had been super busy in May and June with planning my wedding and did all the weekly grocery shopping at Whole Foods more than I care to admit. It is so easy to let your food budget get out of control when either buy a ton of processed foods or are totally committed to buying organic (the latter is my issue).

I am now back to my normal routine of buying most of my food at the Farmer’s Market and recently discovered a European-style outdoor produce market we have called The Milk Pail (aka the Heartwarming Little Store that Has Everything) that has awesome prices on organic produce. Blessed with time and a pantry already stocked with dry beans and gluten free grains, I was ready to reign in the grocery budget this July without sacrificing nutrition.

I really, really made our dollars stretch with all the healthy soups and stews I have been making for my husband. One of his favorite soups is Gypsy Stew. I usually make my special version of Mollie Katzen’s Vegeterian Moosewood Cookbookrecipe classic with added cut up organic chicken thighs for my husband who needs a lot of protein. He has been open to eating more vegeterian meals, so instead of adding chicken I added several cups of already cooked leftover organic quinoa which they now sell at costco. Organic chicken thighs cost about $5.99/lb, organic quinoa and organic chickpeas cost around $1.99/lb. So you do the math, it saves money to go veggie.

Quinoa Stew with a Gypsy Flair

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small can organic tomato sauce
• 1 large bunch washed and chopped spinach
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 2 cups carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans–see my post about how to cook dry beans)
• 3 cups cooked
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley or basil (whichever you have on hand or prefer)
• 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1/4t  cinnamon
• 1/4t cayenne
• 1 bay leaf

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium low heat, saute onion until translucent.
2. Add all other vegetables besides garlic and spinach and sautee for five minutes. Add garlic and saute minute.
3. Pour broth or water, tomato sauce, seasoning, chickpeas and quinoa to the soup pot. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until all the vegetables are as tender as you like them.
5. Add spinach and cover for about 2 minutes until spinach is wilted. Enjoy!