Lentil Quinoa Soup, Healthy Gluten-Free Comfort Food

Most people think of comfort food as lasagna or mashed potatoes – high calorie, high starch. If we allow these foods to comfort us all winter long, they will surely be a factor in our panic to lose our winter muffin top or love handles come spring.

Comfort food doesn’t have to weigh us down! In fact there are many healthy meal options like this quinoa lentil soup, that still feel like a warm hug on a cold day. This recipe is so easy to make, but you can keep that a secret between you and me. And, it’s soooo delicious your family will think you’ve taken a secret trip to Le Cordon Bleu chef school in Paris – it’s that good.

Gluten-free

If you haven’t embraced gluten-free eating yet, then you should give it a try. It’s not just sufferers of celiac disease who benefit from eating gluten-free. In fact, if you want to improve your digestion overall and eliminate that bloated feeling after a meal that makes your pants a little tight, then this is a recipe you should try. When my clients go gluten-free for two weeks, they lose weight and their energy increases immensely. Dr. Mercola refers to gluten as “an epidemic of hidden intolerance.” Try going gluten-free and see how you feel.

Low Allergen

Corn, wheat, soy, nut and of course additives and preservatives are the most common allergens and should be avoided for your most joyous health ever. This recipe meets the criteria of being “low allergen”, but doesn’t sacrifice taste.

Lentil & Quinoa Soup

Ingredients
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp any mixed curry dry spices you have on hand (turmeric, cumin)
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup yellow or red lentils, rinsed
• 6 cups of stock (I prefer chicken stock, but use vegetable stock if you are a vegetarian)
• Sea salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper to taste (great for digestion)

Method: In a large soup pot, on medium heat sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Pour in the stock, add the quinoa, lentils and curry spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the lentils and quinoa are tender about 20-30 minutes. Feel free to add more stock to your desired consistency. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with something green such as cilantro or basil for a hit of antioxidants and distinct flavour. And lastly, add some olive oil for a healthy dose of monounsaturated fat which is very hormonally balancing.

EnJOY!

Joy McCarthy is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, owner of
www.joyoushealth.ca, who loves to educate others to eat well, live well and be well.
Joy is the resident nutritionist at 889 Yonge — Yoga & Holistic Lifestyle Spa in Toronto, where she inspires happy and joyous lives.

Tell us if you liked the soup!