Vegetable Stew over a bed of quinoa

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small sweet onion, sliced into thin rings
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 cups celery, diced
1 ½ cups baby carrots, peeled, cut in half
2 medium red potatoes, cut into 1” cubes
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Kosher or sea salt to taste
8 cups vegetable broth, low sodium
2 sprigs fresh thyme, remove stem and discard
1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
2 cups organic baby spinach, chopped and loosely packed
1 cup uncooked white quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water

Directions:
In a small skillet, add olive oil, turn to medium-low heat and sauté onion and celery until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and continue sautéing one additional minute. Add onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, bay leaf, veggie broth, black pepper and salt to slow cooker, cover and cook on low approximately 8 hours. During the last 15 minutes of cooking time, add thyme and parsley.

In the meantime, add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan, cover, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and cover until stew is ready to serve.

Turn off slow cooker, add spinach and cover until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove bay leaf, stir and serve over a bed of quinoa. Makes 6 servings.

Serving Size: Makes 6 servings

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SILLYMUGGLE.