Spicy Quinoa Vegetable Stew

Thankfully, Zach has fully recovered from his head cold... and now it's my turn. Stuffy nose, sinus headache, the usual routine, likely brought on by the recent seasonal change in temperatures, or perhaps simply something gifted upon us by our patients.

Of course, fixing soups when one has a cold is absolutely mandatory... My college roommate Lisa was the first to introduce me to the classic home wisdom of using spicy dishes to relieve sinus issues, and I recollect many a semester when we battled finals-week sniffles with steaming cups of hot and sour soup. And so, last night before work I fixed us a stew - a smoldering, spicy vegetable stew. I added some quinoa for extra protein, to make the dish a truly complete meal in a bowl, and sprinkled in crushed red pepper with a liberal hand. In the resulting recipe, which we both decided was a complete success from a culinary as well as a medicinal standpoint, I've left the amounts of Cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper "to taste," as this stew would really be lovely without any spice at all, if one would prefer, perhaps to ladle into thermoses and tuck into little ones' school lunch boxes as the weather cools (I distinctly remember, as I trudged off to nursery school at the wee age of 4, hoping a thermos of tomato soup, my favorite lunch, was accompanying me in my tin lunch box...). One could also add a just a hint of spice, or, if you have a head cold, or simply enjoy intensely spicy dishes for any occasion, as we do...

Bring on the fire, baby.

Spicy Quinoa Vegetable Stew

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, diced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 T olive oil

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Crushed hot red pepper flakes, to taste

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp dried oregano

4 to 5 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup red wine

1 bay leaf

2 medium potatoes, cooked and diced (I popped ours into the microwave - so simple and speedy!)

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

~ In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, saute the onion, celery, garlic, carrot, and bell pepper in the olive oil until the onion is limp and translucent.

~ Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the Cayenne pepper, crushed hot red pepper, paprika, and oregano, and saute for one minute more, stirring constantly.

~ Stir in 4 cups vegetable broth and the red wine, bay leaf, cooked diced potatoes, the can of tomatoes, and the quinoa.

~ Bring the stew to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer for an hour or so - until the quinoa is cooked and the flavors have had a chance to meld.

~ Add the remaining cup of vegetable broth if the stew is getting too thick, and allow the stew to continue to simmer gently until you're ready to serve!

Some wisdom from our cat Ruby:

If all else fails, and even stew doesn't perk you up, you can always hide in the empty toilet-paper bag. Recycling giant empty bags makes everything better.