Sunday was a beautiful spring afternoon in the Bay Area, and I took the opportunity to bring out some of our patio furniture to do some outdoor reading.  My book of choice was Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson, a recent birthday acquisition.  I loved reading about all the different ingredients she recommends using to make your own balanced meals instead of stocking up on processed soy and gluten products from the grocery store.  I was especially intrigued by her Nacho Cheese sauce – I can foresee a future post trying out that one!

The one recipe that caught my eye was for a potato and leek soup.  I’ve made this type of soup before, but her recipe called for mushrooms as well.  I’m not sure why I never thought of that myself – I love the combination of mushrooms and leeks, especially in risotto. Also, this recipe called for pureeing the soup after cooking up all the ingredients, which makes prep very easy – you can be carefree about how consistently you prep your veggies.  I’m usually quite particular about prepping my ingredients – I think it might be the math geek in me wanting everything to be perfectly proportionate.  A fellow foodie-friend found this link which pretty much sums up my feelings about food prep.

I took some liberties with her recipe, but most of this inspiration comes from Julie Hasson’s fabulous book, which reminds me of a quote on Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s twitter feed: “All great chefs beg, borrow and steal, but only the greatest ones give credit.”

Ingredients:

• 3 leeks washed and rough chopped
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 medium mushrooms (I used cremini)
• 2 peeled and chopped russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup quinoa
• Seasonings: white pepper, salt, green chilis

Instructions:

1. Saute the leeks, celery and bay leaves until the leeks are softened.
2. Add the mushrooms until they release their water.
3. Add the potatoes and then add enough water to cover the ingredients.
4. Add the quinoa and seasonings, bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked.
5. Turn off the heat, grab your immersion blender, and puree to whatever consistency you like best (I always prefer a few chunks).

This soup is hearty enough for a meal on its own and the quinoa gives you an added protein punch!