Four years ago for Christmas I received Deborah Madison’s cookbook, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I was told the book was the Mercedes of all vegetarian cookbooks, and as a pescatarian I was stoked to try my hand at a few recipes. However I quickly found out that a 742-page cookbook can be overwhelming. As a new cook, ingredients like bulgar and recipes like Tender Tatsoi with Sesame Oil Vinaigrette seemed intimidating. Needless to say I put the book on the shelf and didn’t open it for four years.

But last night was the night. I figured after four years of cooking for myself, an endless amount of blog reading, and countless trips to Trader Joes, I was ready to take the Mercedes for a joy ride. I diligently read through every one of the 742 pages and happily discovered numerous recipes that highlighted my favorite ingredients, like lentils and chickpeas. After bookmarking at least 20 recipes I decided to give the Quinoa Chowder a whirl. I was looking for something healthy and couldn’t resist the prospect of feta cooked into a soup. The soup was as fresh and delicious as promised and I’m already making a grocery list for my next Deborah Madison recipe.

Alex Milling is a recent graduate of Northwestern University and is welcoming tips for how to make radiator heat work properly.

**Recipe**

Quinoa Chowder with Spinach, Feta and Chives
Adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
3/4 cups quinoa
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup chopped chives
6 ounce bag of spinach leaves, choped
1/4 pound feta cheese, chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Put the quinoa and 1 1/2 cups of water in a pot, bring to boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all the water.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and the potatoes. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add 4 cups broth, 2 cups water and 1/4 cup chives and let simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Add the quinoa, spinach and remaining chives and simmer for 3 more minutes.

Turn off heat and stir in feta and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Tags: Nutrition and Health