Lamb’s Quarters (the weed) Soup

Who would have thought that I would take after my mother and make a delicious soup from a common weed called Lamb’s Quarters?  I remember growing up in rural Saskatchewan and my mom trying to use every plant she could to make nutritious meals.  It seemed we were either weeding it out of our driveway or eating it. 😉 Mom cooked with it partially to save money and partially because it was an excellent source of vitamins for our growing bodies.  Surprisingly, when I served it to my kids, they looked past the colour (which I am not going to lie to you… is kind of offensive) and said they really liked it!

As a way to give back to community and to help foster the idea that everyone should have access to healthy, organically grown vegetables, I am the volunteer coordinator for a veggie farm in our city.  We grow vegetables to donate to local social service agencies across the Okanagan valley.  On our farm I have noticed (and weeded out) a LOT of a specific weed called Lambsquarters.  It looks like this:

One of our volunteers who is East Indian often picks it, as well as wild mustard, to take home to his wife.  He said she makes the most amazing soup with it.  Last week, he brought me a container of the soup to try.  Well, my goodness it was so delicious!!  Much to my delight Rekha shared the recipe with me.  She said it was really something that she had made up, not so much a recipe… Honestly, that is a skill.

I would like to share the recipe with you.  Obviously Lamb’s Quarters is the main ingredient, but luckily it is quite easy to find.  I saw some last night at the dog park.  It grows anywhere where you find a lot of weeds.  If you are in the Kelowna area and would like to pick some, contact me and I can help you out.  It is basically a wild spinach, so I suppose you could substitute spinach but somehow it wouldn’t seem quite as special.

Here is some information on the health benefits of Lamb’s Quarters.  It sounds so awful, like you are using the hind end of a lamb to make soup with, but this my friends, is completely cruelty free :).

• The herb contains more iron and protein than both cabbage and spinach, and more vitamin B1 and calcium than raw cabbage.
• It is said to be the second highest in nutrition of all wild plants behind Amaranth.
• Lamb’s quarters is rich in the minerals iron, phosphorus, and calcium. It also contains beta carotene and vitamins B1 and C.
• Since Lamb’s quarters tastes almost exactly like spinach you can substitute it for spinach in any way you wish; casseroles, steamed in salad, soup or stir fries.  It is far tastier than spinach, in my opinion, and it’s FREE!
  (This information comes from Wild Blessings and Herbal Supplement Resource .)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Lamb's quarters Soup

Print

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 60 minutes 60 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil1 pound of lamb's quarters washed and chopped1 large onion, chopped6 cloves garlic, chopped1" piece of ginger, chopped1/2 jalapeno with seeds removed, chopped3 large tomatoes, chopped1 large potato, chopped1 large carrot, chopped1 stalk celery, choppedsalt and black and white pepper to taste2 dry vegetable bouillon cubes1 teaspoon cumindash of cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pot or pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds and roast until light brown.
2. Add onions, garlic and ginger. Sauté until onions look transparent.
3. Add in jalapeño and sauté for a few seconds.  Add tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery and sauté for couple of minutes, then add in the lamb's quarters and sauté until the leaves start to wilt.
4. Add salt, cumin and 3 cups of broth (dissolve 2 cubes in boiling water). You may have to adjust the thicknesses of the soup by adding more water.
5. Let it boil until the vegetables are soft approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Now purée the soup with a hand blender.
6. Heat the soup again and add black and white peppers. Adjust the thickness of the soup by adding more water if needed. Taste to check the spices, if you like it a bit spicy add in cayenne pepper. If you like your soup a little tangy,use some lemon juice.

Notes: You may like to add bread chunks or croutons to your soup. We found it was delicious served with rice and beans and whole wheat bread dipped in balsamic vinegar.

 

www.thevibrantveggie.com