Chicken, Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup

Cooking Hack: Rinsing the wild rice removes excess surface starch, preventing the broth from becoming cloudy and ensuring a clear, rich garlic-thyme stock. Chunky Mediterranean Vegetable & Quinoa Soup Servings: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Ingredients 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 medium courgette, diced (1cm) 1/2 small aubergine, diced (1cm) 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and diced (1cm) 1 small red onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 60g white quinoa, rinsed thoroughly 400g tin chopped tomatoes 600ml hot vegetable stock 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tbsp tomato purée Fresh basil leaves, roughly torn, to garnish Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste Instructions Prep Base: Layer the diced courgette, aubergine, red pepper, red onion, garlic, and rinsed quinoa directly into the soup maker jug. Add Liquids: Pour over the chopped tomatoes, hot vegetable stock, tomato purée, olive oil, and dried oregano. Season gently with salt and pepper. Select Cycle: Secure the lid, select the Chunky program (25 minutes), and allow the appliance to simmer the ingredients without blending. Finish & Serve: Once the cycle completes, stir gently to distribute the fluffy quinoa. Ladle into warm bowls and garnish generously with fresh basil. Nutritional Information (per serving) Calories: 165 kcal Protein: 6 g Fat: 5 g Carbohydrates: 22 g Fibre: 5 g Chef's Tips and Guidelines Cooking Hack: Always rinse quinoa under cold water in a fine-mesh sieve before adding it to the jug. This removes its natural coating (saponin), preventing bitterness and ensuring the grains fluff up perfectly without sticking to the heating element.