A Summer Stew for Any Occasion

This was a summer stew I made, but froze two servings to pull out when I needed a quick meal. I did just that on the 30th after traveling to Maine and Ohio for the holidays. I enjoyed a bowl sans toppings on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day to stay warm during this arctic blast of weather. Since the stew was summer inspired and based, you can really taste the lemon juice and appreciate summer produce like kale and zucchini. The sweetness from the raisins and sweet potatoes balance the bitterness from the quinoa and kale and acidity of the lemon juice. I added almond milk for a splash of creaminess. I love that this has garlic, ginger and turmeric, which are anti-inflammatories and aid in digestion — just what we need post-holiday binge and indulgences. Serve hot and savor that bowl of Turmeric, White Bean & Quinoa Stew.

Ingredients (serves 7ish with 1½ c servings).

• 2-3 t coconut oil
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1/2 c matchstick carrots
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 medium sweet potato, diced (skin on)
• 8 c vegetable stock
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 t ground turmeric
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• 1/2 t salt (more/less to taste)
• 1 c quinoa, dry
• 1 can (15 oz.) white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 container (13.5 oz) vegetarian refried pinto beans (like Pacific Organic)
• 2 c finely chopped kale
• 1/8 c raisins
• 1¼ c unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice

Directions.

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add garlic, carrots, zucchini and sweet potato. Sauté 3-4 min.
2. Add in broth, lemon juice and spices. Season with salt to taste. Bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and stir in dry quinoa, cover and cook covered for about 15-20 min, stirring occasionally.
3. Add beans, chopped kale and raisins and cook uncovered until kale is wilted and refried beans are distributed.
4. Stir in almond milk (or milk of choice) to give a creamier consistency. Add more or less as needed.
5. The soup is done when the quinoa is cooked and plump, sweet potato and zucchini are tender, the kale is wilted and the refried beans are fully dispersed.
6. Dish up 1½ c servings. Toppings (optional): 1/4 avocado, nutritional yeast (or parmesan if not vegan/dairy-free) and/or red pepper flakes.
7. Enjoy!

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Nutrition for 1½ c serving (excluding toppings).

224 calories  •  4.2 g fat (17%)  •  37.2 g carbs (66%)  •  10 g protein (18%)  •  5.3 g sugar

* These are estimates based off specific products I used and how I entered ingredients in a fitness tracker. This is completely subjective and used to give a rough nutritional estimate.