For the soup Wash the radish leaves and spinach, pat dry and chop finely. Peel the onion and cut into small cubes.
As an alternative to radish leaves, you can use the green parts of a bunch of radishes.
The author uses one small white onion for a serving of 4 people.
Briefly sauté the onion cubes in a large pan with oil. Add the radish leaves and spinach and sauté. Pour in the vegetable stock and cook the soup for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Make sure to heat the cold-pressed rapeseed oil only slightly (see tips).
While the soup is cooking, proceed to the next preparation step.
Wash the quinoa, cook in a large pot of water for 10-15 minutes according to the instructions on the packet, then drain.
Add half of the cooked quinoa to the soup. Carefully puree the soup with a hand blender until creamy and leave to thicken on the stove at a low setting for 10 minutes. Add the remaining quinoa to the soup.
For the topping Briefly roast the pumpkin seeds in a pan without fat at medium temperature. Stir in the maple syrup and tahini and season with turmeric, chili flakes and salt. Allow to caramelize briefly. Remove the pumpkin seeds from the pan and allow to cool on kitchen paper.
Arranging and Serving Season the soup with nutmeg and pepper, divide it between soup bowls and serve sprinkled with the pumpkin seeds and a little linseed oil.
We added linseed oil for health reasons; it is not part of the original recipe. More information under "Tips".
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
The radish leaf and spinach soup with quinoa and pumpkin seed topping is seasoned with turmeric and chili, among other things.
Nutrient profile: According to GDA guidelines, one portion covers more than three times the average daily requirement of vitamin K, almost 90% of manganese and almost ¾ of folic acid, which is important for cell renewal. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is 4:1, which is below the maximum recommended ratio of 5:1.
Spinach: Spinach is rich in vitamins (especially vitamin K, folic acid, vitamin A and vitamin C), protein and minerals. Spinach does have a high iron content among vegetables, but the iron content is not exceptionally high. Despite the high oxalic acid content, consuming raw spinach in reasonable amounts is not harmful to health.
Radish leaves: Like the tubers and roots, fresh radish leaves contain potassium, iron, magnesium, vitamin C and mustard oils. Radish leaves taste spicy, but a little milder than the tubers. In addition to soups and salads, you can also use them to make pesto and smoothies.
Quinoa: Quinoa is not a grain. The small Inca grain is a goosefoot plant and belongs to the same plant family as beetroot and spinach. Its vitamin content and nutritional value is roughly comparable to that of rice. However, the protein content is higher and quinoa contains a larger amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (but fewer carbohydrates). Quinoa contains significantly more minerals and about twice as much iron and 50 percent more vitamin E than wheat.
Turmeric: Turmeric, also known as saffron root or yellow root, comes from Southeast Asia and is a member of the ginger family. Fresh turmeric has a peppery, slightly spicy taste. In dried form, which is commonly available outside of India, turmeric tastes milder and slightly bitter. Turmeric powder is best stored in a place protected from light, otherwise the color and flavor will be lost.
Pumpkin seeds: The green, flat-oval pumpkin seeds are the seeds of the pumpkin and are available raw or roasted. Pumpkin seeds relieve the complications of an irritable bladder and can help with problems with urination caused by benign prostate enlargement. They are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, but contain a very poor ratio of omega-6 (LA) to omega-3 fatty acids (ALA) at 176:1.
Tips
Cold-pressed oils and heating: It is important to heat cold-pressed oils only slightly, up to a maximum of 120 °C, as otherwise harmful substances are created. Under no circumstances should it start to smoke, and decomposition begins before the "smoke point" is reached. See also the following information in the ingredient: cold-pressed rapeseed oil.
Linseed oil (linseed oil), cold-pressed from ripe linseeds, is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Fresh cold-pressed linseed oil has a mild taste and a golden yellow color. It tastes slightly nutty and hay-like. Linseed oil is sensitive to oxidation and can only be stored for a very short time. With an LA: ALA ratio of 1:4, linseed oil has a very balanced composition, which helps to stay below the desired maximum value of 5:1. We recommend using healthy oils as a general rule. You can find further information at the following link: Vegans often eat unhealthily. Avoidable nutritional errors.
Alternate preparation
Vegetable stock: We use extra low-salt vegetable stock to reduce the overall amount of salt without compromising on flavor. Use your own preference as a guide when adding salt to this dish. If you want to make the stock yourself, there is a recipe for this on page 197 in the same book.
Remove and clean pumpkin seeds yourself: In general, the seeds of all edible pumpkins are suitable for consumption. The best way to remove as much of the pulp fibers as possible from the seeds is to wash them with your hands. You can peel the seeds before or after preparation. To peel them, carefully work the dried seeds with a rolling pin on a smooth surface. Applying light pressure will break the shell. You can now break the shell apart with both thumbnails and remove the seeds.
