Here’s a lovely plant-based soup that I tossed together a couple of weeks ago. I made it in a little green Staub Cocotte that I’ve had for a very long time. It always seems like everything I make in that pot comes out so flavorful and delicious. Any soup pot will do of course, but it’s always nice when you have a favorite.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
8 green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 red onion, diced small
6 garlic cloves, chopped fine
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and sliced into 1-inch rounds
2 medium-sized zucchini, quartered lengthwise and then sliced into 1/2-inch sections
15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed well
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. turmeric
5 cups boiling water
1/3 cup tri-color or red quinoa
juice of 1/2 lemon
garnish with parsley

Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in a medium (2-quart) soup pot until fragrant, and then add onions. Fry onions 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are beginning to brown at the edges. Push onions to the outer edges of the pot, and add garlic and spices in the center, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and mix together the contents of the pot. Slowly stir in the boiling water. 

Carefully add the carrots, zucchini, and chickpeas, and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot, and cook at a slow boil for 30 minutes. Then remove the cover, sprinkle the quinoa on top of the soup, and replace the cover. After 10 minutes, check the quinoa and push it down below the level of the liquid. Continue to simmer 10 minutes more until the quinoa is completely cooked. Check the liquid level at least once, and add more if it has been absorbed by the quinoa to a greater extent than you expected. All the quinoa should be just barely submerged. And it’s okay to use white quinoa if that’s what you happen to have in the cabinet — I just like the colorful varieties.

Turn off the heat, and squeeze in the juice of one-half lemon. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes prior to serving. Makes 4 bowls or 6 cups.