Hyla's African Quinoa-Peanut Soup

Quinoa-Peanut Soup
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium-large red onion
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 or 5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 4 oz. can jalapeno (or chilies if jalapeno is not available)
1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large zucchini, diced
5 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. each: cumin, oregano and fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2-1 cup peanut butter (I recommend chunky but creamy can be used too)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat oil in a large stalk pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Next, add bell pepper, celery, garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook until soft, about 15 minutes.
Add jalapeno, sweet potato, zucchini, vegetable broth, spices (except salt and pepper) and quinoa. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer about 20 minutes.
After the quinoa is fluffy and the vegetables are soft, add the peanut butter. (I like the bits of peanut in the soup so I use chunky if I have it. The more peanut butter, the creamier and peanut-flavored the soup will be.) Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper before allowing to simmer another 10-15 minutes.
The soup will thicken if it cools so if you can let it sit for an hour or so before serving if you can. Reheat and serve.



Serving Size: 1 cup

Number of Servings: 10

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user MADZOE.