Corn & Quinoa Chowder

This afternoon I made corn & quinoa chowder.The red quinoa in the chowder brought a nutty flavor which I enjoyed! I'm trying to stock the freezer, to help us out when the semester gets a little nutty!




Ingredients
3/4 cup red quinoa
1 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. of olive oil
2 chopped leeks, white and light green parts only
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium sweet potato, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 tsp. of fresh thyme leaves
2 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth( I used vegetable stock)
2 cups plain soymilk
salt and pepper, to taste( I added 1 tsp. of salt & 1 tsp. of fresh ground pepper)




Methods

Heat olive oil in a pot on medium heat and add the leeks, onions,garlic, thyme, and celery and cook for 6-8 minutes until the onions are translucent.
Add the corn, sweet potato and red pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes. Then, add the broth and soymilk and bring to boil. Stir in quinoa and cumin. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pot. Let simmer 15-20 minutes, until the quinoa and vegetables are tender. Makes 2 1/2 quarts of soup= 6-8 servings!