Tomato Cheddar Quinoa Soup

Do you have a happy place?

Mine is the beach.

I feel so blessed to have spent this fall and winter here:

With these guys:

Though I love it, usually by this time of year the weather starts to wear on me.

I DON’T do cold and live in denial each year that it is ever going to get cold.

Seriously, other than my running shoes I don’t even own a closed toe pair of shoes. I just run around in my flip-flops all winter (silently) complaining about how cold it is.

Crazy-Wendy-Logic: If I buy appropriate clothing I am preparing for cold and in the process must accept that even in Florida the weather gets yucky in the winter.

This year I can’t complain. We had some nasty weather over the holidays but January was pretty amazing.

Today, however, it is cold.

Like it got down into the 30’s this morning-cold. Brrrr!

(Good thing for me I went to the grocery store yesterday. :))

I’m the crazy Floridian who acts like those of you up north would act with a foot of snow at the first sign of frost on my windshield.

Cancel everything! Build a fire! Buy snow bread!

And of course, make soup.

Today’s soup is one you have to try – simple & delicious!

Do you like the cold?

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Tomato Cheddar Quinoa Soup

Tomato Cheddar Quinoa Soup

Author Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 sweet onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or broth
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 28 ounces fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese grated

Instructions

1. Heat 1/2 tablespoon love oil in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add onion and cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook for one more minute. Increase heat to medium high and add wine or broth. Cook for 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, quinoa, broth, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover. Cook for 10 minutes.
2. Using an immersion blender puree soup until smooth. (You may also do this in batches in your blender.) Return soup to pot and heat to low. Stir in cheese a little bit at a time until melted.

Recipe Notes

Servings 6, Calories 268, Fat 10.6g, Carbohydrates 18.6g, Protein 19.9g, Cholesterol 56mg, Sodium 673mg, Fiber 3.2g, Sugars 6.8g, WW Pts 7