Ahhh! Nothing calms the soul and heals the body like a good bowl of soup! One of the things that I missed when I switched over to a plant based diet was my homemade chicken noodle soup. Not only was it nurturing to eat but I also took great pride and relaxation making it and sharing it with my family.
Now you can recreate the process with this Orzo Lemon Soup with Quinoa. The plant based sausage gives this soup a robust flavor and the Quinoa and chickpeas provide you with the protein intake required on a plant based whole food diet.
Plus it’s lemony flavor with orzo and kale gives it a Mediterranean flavor that is robust and delicious!
Quinoa, which has lots of protein, folate, vitamin E, magnesium, iron and zinc, is considered a superfood. Although recently introduced into the Western Hemisphere, people in the Andean region have been eating quinoa for over 7000 years.
In a recent investigation concerning quinoa, Dr. Michael Greger finds that consuming quinoa on a daily basis can help to lower triglycerides and cholesterol (NutritionFacts.org).
The additional ingredients of kale, chickpeas, carrots, onion and garlic provide valuable nutrients and protein making this soup a substantial wholesome meal.
INGREDIENTS
2 plant-based sausage patties
1 can Chickpeas
3 c kale
1/2 c orzo
1/2 c quinoa
1 onion
3 carrots
4 cloves garlic
Plant based chicken stock
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
- Saute onion and garlic
- Add sausage and brown 4-5 minutes
- Remove sausage
- Fill pot 3/4 full with water and bring to boil
- Add chopped carrots and and Chickpeas and simmer for 15 min
- Add chicken stock, oregano, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Add orzo and quinoa and cook for 3 minutes
- Add chopped kale
SET ASIDE
- Cook sausage in oven following directions until crisp
- Chop in bite-sized pieces
- Add to soup
- Squeeze fresh lemon over soup when you serve. Garnish with parsley or chopped spinach.
