Today is a cold crisp day, although the sun is shining so beautifully that you might be deceived into thinking that it is actually nice out there. Since it is so cold out there and we are stuck inside, it is one of those days that we call around here a lazy day. A day where mommy lets you stay in your jammies and model your bed head all day. A day where exercise is not top priority and housecleaning can wait. Yes, today is a lazy day.

Luckily, I prepared the most amazing quinoa soup yesterday, so we already had a nice hearty meal ready to be heated up for our lunch today. But, if you know me at all, then you know that there is no way that I ever actually take a whole entire lazy day. By noon I had already done power yoga, cleaned the whole house, had one of my kids (can you guess which one) dressed and well-groomed and baked two loaves of bread because soup should never be without bread you know. 😉

Hearty Tomato Basil Quinoa and Red Lentil Soup

Makes one large pot of soup, feeds my family of four for two meals. Serves 8-10

Ingredients

• 2 cups vegetable broth or stock
• 1 cup dry red lentils
• 7 cups water
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 round tablespoons vegetable bouillon powder
• 4 ribs celery, chopped
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped
• 1 (796 ml) can of diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 cups cooked quinoa*

*you could make the quinoa at the same time as the red lentils if you do not have any cooked quinoa on hand. Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan, add 3/4 cup of quinoa and return to boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Directions

1. Bring the 2 cups of vegetable broth or stock to a boil in another medium saucepan. Add the red lentils, return to a boil, reduce heat to low then cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until lentils are soft. Uncover and stir the lentils every 5 minutes or so, so that they do not stick to the pot and that they cook evenly.
2. In a large pot, bring the 7 cups of water to boil. Add the diced onion and vegetable bouillon and boil for a few minutes to bring out the flavor.
3. Add the chopped celery, carrots and cauliflower and boil 10-15 minutes until veggies are fork tender.
4. Stir in the canned diced tomatoes, basil, oregano and garlic powder.
5. Add the cooked lentils and quinoa, stir and reduce heat to medium-low. Allow the soup to simmer 5 minutes more to bring all the flavors together. Serve with a slice of Spelt Flax and Oat Quick Bread.

Spelt Flax and Oat Quick Bread

Makes 1 loaf

This bread is perfect for cold, winter days when you need a pick me up. It has a light sweetness to it, so it is also great as a breakfast bread, as is or with a bit of margarine or jam. My girls even love eating it for an afternoon snack with a nice glass of milk. It is super quick to throw together and is full of whole grain goodness. The flax seeds add Omega 3 and a boost of protein.

• 2 cups spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup whole flax seeds
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 35o°F.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and whole flax seeds together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Place the oats in a food processor and blend for about a minute, until finely ground and then add them to the mixing bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients.
4. In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sunflower oil, maple syrup, water, milk and ground flax seeds. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until everything is combined.
5. Pour the batter into a non-stick 9 x 5 loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes. Loaf is ready when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing it from the pan.

So much for my lazy day. Looks like Mochi took it for me! 😉