Curried Cucumber Soup with Black Quinoa
Servings 2 -4
Ingredients
Quinoa
- 1 cup cooked black quinoa*
- 1 Tbs. fresh mint chopped
- 1 Tbs. fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
Soup
- 2 English cucumbers peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup plant-based plain Greek-style yogurt I use Tempt Hemp
- 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and drained
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 Tbs. water
- 3 Tbs. fresh mint chopped
- 3 Tbs. fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1-2 tsp. sweet curry powder to taste
- 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
- 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp. fine sea salt
Instructions
Quinoa
- Combine cooked quinoa (see notes below), mint, parsley, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
Soup
- Add all soup ingredients (cucumbers, yogurt, cashews, garlic, water, mint, parsley, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, sweet curry powder, lemon zest, ground ginger and sea salt) to a high-speed blender.
- Begin blending and the lowest setting and slowly turn up to the highest setting.
- Blend on high for approximately 40 seconds or until smooth. (Use tamper if necessary.)
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours then pour soup into 2 - 4 bowls. Top each bowl with 1/4 - 1/2 cup of the black quinoa mixture and serve.
Notes
*For fluffy quinoa, bring 2 parts water and 1 part quinoa to a boil and cook on medium-low for about 10 minutes or until seeds begin to release “tails.” Then drain any remaining water, replace lid and allow to sit on the warm stove for at least 5 minutes. Be sure to rinse quinoa before cooking unless you purchase pre-rinsed. You can use any variety of quinoa - black just looks pretty in this recipe. The yield is about 4 cups of soup.