My last post discussed my sister Anna's traditional birthday meal of hummus , tahina, falafel and lentil soup. We never waver, its a...

My last post discussed my sister Anna's traditional birthday meal of hummus , tahina, falafel and lentil soup. We never waver, its always on the menu. I love lentil soup so much -- there are no words. I have made my own in the past and even when flavor wise the dish works, I always find myself curling into a ball with abdominal pain within an hour. Beans and legumes typically really upset my stomach, as much as I love them. I know I'm not the only one with this issue so tonight when I accidentally created a similar tasting soup that was legume and lentil FREE, I knew I had to share. This soup is:

VEGAN

GLUTEN FREE

HIGH PROTEIN

HIGH FIBRE

FULL OF HEALTHY FATS

EASY AND QUICK TO MAKE (10 MINS)

FULL OF SUPERFOODS

FULL OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY SPICES

LEGUME-FREE BUT TASTES LIKE LENTIL SOUP

If that doesn't have you intrigued, did I mention this soup features quinoa and kale? Arguably two of the healthiest foods on the planet! Can you say awesome?

I made this soup because I wanted, no I NEEDED, to eat some turmeric. Its the beginning of my seasonal allergy season and turmeric is my savior. It clears up my symptoms in less than an hour. I had planned to make yellow rice with ground turmeric but decided that I couldn't be bothered to spend that much time on dinner. So I threw some quinoa flakes, water, spices, coconut cream, coconut oil, olive oil, lemon, garlic, kale and grated zucchini into a pot, and heated them to create a thick and creamy yellow and green soup. It instantly reminded me of my favorite lentil soup so I served it in the same way -- with a drizzle of evoo, a lemon wedge, and some hot sauce. This soup is so good.

It is undeniably similar to lentil soup but most likely won't upset your stomach if you're sensitive to legumes like me. Its just as healthy and delicious. Give it a try if you've given up on beans and lentils!

10 Minute Quinoa and Kale Soup

3-4 cups water or stock of choice (vegetable stock etc.)

1.5 cups quinoa flakes

1/2 tsp virgin coconut oil

1.5 tsp evoo

1/4 white onion, diced small

2 leaves black or green kale, chopped small

1/2 large zucchini, shredded with a cheese grater

1 bay leaf

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp oregano (optional)

Squeeze of lemon

Big pinch of pink salt

OPTIONAL extra spices: saffron, paprika or sumac to taste

Add everything to a small pot and stir well to combine evenly. Heat over high heat to bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring often, until everything is yellow and thick and creamy (at least 10 minutes to ensure the quinoa flakes are cooked through thoroughly). If you like your soup thinner, add as much stock or water as you like and taste. If you need to add more spices and oil to compensate for the extra liquid, add and heat for a couple minutes longer.