Quinoa, Lentil, and Veggie Soup

I really just have a thing for soup. Any sort of soup, any time. I'm sure I've mentioned this before. I love experimenting, adding different ingredients, and hopefully ending up with something that's comforting and delicious and oh so good for you. 

I also love quinoa. And lentils. And obviously vegetables. All of the vegetables! Quinoa and lentils are staples in my diet, I eat them multiple times a week. So I threw all of these things into a pot and let them simmer away for a little while, and this is what I ended up with. Pretty simple, huh. 

(Feel free to use any other grain instead of quinoa e.g brown rice or barley, just note cooking time will vary.) 

Quinoa, Lentil, and Veggie Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 brown onion, finely diced

1 medium zucchini, sliced thickly into batons

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium sweet potato, diced into bite-sized cubes

1/2 - 1 head of broccoli or cauliflower, or both if you want, cut into bite-sized florets

1/2 cup each of uncooked lentils and uncooked quinoa

1 litre vegetable stock

1 small red chilli, finely chopped

Optional: a tsp minced garlic and/or ginger (add in with the chilli), kale or baby spinach (add at the end of cooking time), or other veggies. 

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over low-medium heat, and then saute the onion until it has softened, but  is not too browned. Add the other veggies and the chilli, and stir around to coat. Pour in the vegetable stock and then add the lentils and quinoa; add some water if all of the veggies aren't completely covered. Turn the heat up to medium and simmer for 15 - 25 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the quinoa is cooked. You may need to add some more water if too much of the stock has been reduced during cooking time.