Becca's Mexican Stew

My friend, Becca, is not only cute, funny and a great dancer (yep, we take a hip-hop class together once a week), but, she is also a fabulous cook! I seriously love the name of her blog, Home Beccanomics (she used to be a home economics teacher) and her recipes are every bit as clever as her blog name.  This post highlights her yummy Mexican Stew. Seriously, you had me at Mexican....and then again at stew! Now, take a look at the list of ingredients and you will see the makings of a tasty, healthy soup that includes potatoes, quinoa, spinach and avocado. How can you go wrong!!? I did make two easy changes. I subbed the peas out for a can of garbanzo beans and I used a can of crushed tomatoes instead of diced. No bigs! This stew is great no matter how you look at it! Oh, and oh, oh, oh, two out of my three kids absolutely LOVED this! (And don't worry about the third one....he's one of those "I only like chicken nuggets and mac n' cheese" kind of guys!).

Here is Becca's recipe:

1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
5 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tbsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 lb. baby red skinned potatoes, halved
6 c. chicken broth
1 c. quinoa, rinsed if necessary
2 tomatoes, cored and chopped coarse (or a 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained) <I used crushed>
1 c. frozen corn
1 c. frozen peas <I used a 15 oz can of garbanzo beans, rinsed>
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
3 c. baby spinach, optional
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 c. ricotta salata or feta, for serving

1. Sauté onion and bell pepper in oil in a large pot for five to eight minutes or until softened.

2. Add salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, cumin, chili powder and cayenne and sauté until fragrant, three minutes.

3. Add potatoes and chicken broth, cover with lid, and turn heat to high. When it reaches boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Add quinoa and simmer until tender, 10 minutes longer.

5. Add tomatoes, corn and peas and heat through for several minutes.

6. Turn off heat and stir in cilantro and baby spinach, if using.

7. Ladle stew into bowls and divide avocado and cheese between bowls.