We got back from Miami and ate nothing but carbs for the rest of the week. Seriously. Dinner went pasta, pizza, pasta then pizza. Sunday night rolled around and I figured we should detox a little bit with something healthy so I whipped up some grilled salmon, broccoli and a new quinoa concoction.

I used one of my easy marinades on the salmon and just steamed the broccoli. The quinoa has a bit of an Asian-flare, seasoned with gingers and soy and topped with scallions. It was a great compliment to the salmon. So happy Monday. Everyone go eat some quinoa.

Quinoa with ginger and soy

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp ginger (I used powdered, but you could use fresh)
1 clove garlic
Soy sauce to taste
Scallions, as garnish

1) Heat a sauce pan over medium heat. Add quinoa and toast for a few minutes. Mix in the chicken broth and ginger and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until all the liquid has absorbed, about 30 minutes.
2) Fluff quinoa with a fork. Add soy sauce. I found about three or four dashes to be enough. Just add until you get the flavor you like. But be careful — too much soy will make it quite salty.
3) Stir in scallions and serve. This is also good leftover, reheated or chilled.

OK so I lied. This post is up on Thursday as opposed to Wednesday. I was fully intending to write this when we got back on Tuesday night, but a combination of a lingering back problem and a packed day of work on Wednesday has pushed this soup post back a day. But I think it is worth the wait.

Tomato soup is probably my favorite soup. There is nothing quite as comforting as a bowl of rich, creamy tomato soup. I had been wanting to make my own tomato soup for awhile and then one day, this recipe popped in to my head. It was super easy to make and took less than an hour. This recipe made two lunches worth of soup for me, so  double the ingredients if you are making this for a crowd.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Kale and White Beans

6 to 8 roma tomatoes, cut in half (roma tomatoes work the best for this recipe)
1 large yellow onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 can of white beans (whichever type you prefer)
3 cups kale, washed and chopped
Salt and pepper

1) Roast the tomatoes. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Place the cut tomatoes on a baking sheet along with half of the onion, cut in to big pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, add the spices and toss until they are coated. Place in oven and roast for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops of the tomatoes look a little caramelized, but not burned. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before placing them in a soup or stock pot.

2) While the tomatoes are cooling, heat up a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet. Saute the other half of the onion, also cut in to large pieces, until softened. Then add white beans and cook for another few minutes. At this point you can either pick out the onions and add to the roasted tomatoes and onions or leave them whole.

3) Use an immersion blender to puree the tomatoes and onions until the mixture is smooth. I left mine a little chunky as a matter of taste. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully add the roasted tomatoes and onions to a regular blender and blend until smooth. Then pour the soup in to the pot.

4) Heat the soup over medium-high heat for five minutes, or until the soup is hot enough for you. Add the white beans and kale and simmer until the kale has wilted. If after the kale is wilted you’d like a thinner soup, add some water or stock until the desired consistency is reached. You could serve immediately or let sit for up to an hour. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired.